The Epic Tales of New Mafioso
by Miyuki-Tukiyo
Summary: "...What the hell is this?" was her beautiful reaction when she walked into a room of murderous assassins. That's when she realized that yes, her personal Apocalypse has come. Can it get any worse? Of course! In the form of...Tsuna?
1. A Suspicious Job

**Well...this is my very first fanfic so...be nice and give it a try? Please forgive my beginner crappiness TT_TT**

** Sadly, Katekyo Hitman Reborn isn't, and never will, belong to me.**

* * *

><p>I opened the door and then...silence.<p>

And staring. Lots of staring.

Because in front of my very ordinary and by all means normal door was an equally ordinary six foot tall giant of a man.

In a stiff black suit. With a curly mustache. And dark sunglasses. _On a cloudy day._

Isn't that just wonderful?

'...Can I help you?' I say, making a fine display of my absolutely exquiste and exotic vocabulary skills.

Can you get the hell out or explain why you are popping my personal bubble of dark and evil?...Was what I really wanted to say, but seeing as he's a six foot tall giant looking armed and dangerous, I doubt that would be good for my physical health.

So instead, I decided to start saying my last words just in case I don't make it out alive.

Dear divine being who rules the universe, if this is your way of punishing me for whatever crime I've done in my past life, please know that I'm very, very sorry and could you please forgive me?

'Yes. You can.' The man said in response, dead serious.

Oh shit.

I'm screwed.

And I was partially right seeing as _that_ was how, unbeknownst to me, the start of a long and permanent personal Apocalypse began and sealed my doomed fate for all eternity.

With no help from the beforehand mentioned divine being.

Just thought I should add that in there.

* * *

><p>The event you just read is probably quite confusing seeing as you're, like, a complete stranger who knows nothing whatsoever about my tragic, depressing, and not-quite-so-satisfying life?<p>

So I guess I should tell you everything you need to know about sad little me wasting oxygen in this fair, kind, and totally _awesome_ world that seemed to jump at any chance to screw up my life.

Which is, bluntly put, not the most best thing one can wish for.

Moving on, I'm human, the last time I checked, I'm a girl with all my limbs intact though no one knows for how much longer, and I had the most un-average appearance of all time.

In other words, I stuck out like a sore thumb.

A _freaky _sore thumb as I've been told many times (Once, I ran into a little girl at night on the streets. She ran away screaming about monsters in the dark. I really, really wanted to strangle her).

I had waist long creepily ink black hair that I never bothered to cut, slightly sideswept bangs that give me a dark aura, slightly pale skin (more like deathly pale vampire skin that I absolutely _hated_), and piercing, bright silver eyes with black rimmed edges that seemed to glint unnaturally and repel everyone within ten meters.

What sort of person had _silver_ eyes? (They also seemed to have this...this...light turquoise-ish, blue-ish, purple-ish, I-have-no-idea-what-the-hell-that-color-is tint to them! Urg. THE HORROR! You have no idea...) Maybe I got them from my (very_, _very normal) family...

_Anyways_, I was forever wearing a blank expression or a frown and my current clothes consisted of a once-whole torn gray T-shirt (It involved glass, money, and lack of food. Don't ask.) with dark jeans (also very battered) and an alright-ish black jacket that kept me alive through winter (despite the fact that I nearly caught pneumonia _twice_).

I was short. Not just kinda short, but frigging SHORT. I hated my height more than _anything. _

Now you're probably thinking, _how did your life become like this? _

Well, I'll tell you (Even though you probably don't give a crap, but that's irrelevant...).

It all happened when I was at the very young and naive age of six.

In the middle of the night at god-knows-when, my parents suddenly woke me up and told me to hide.

I was dumb little kid back then so naturally, I obeyed because there's really nothing else I could do and my tiny brain didn't bother comprehending the situation...

I thought it was weird, creepy, and somewhat scary, but I never thought my life would be in danger until I heard the screams and gunshots.

I was in a closet and froze.

I heard all sorts of seriously nasty noises while petrified in fear, but the sounds that stood out most was the loud '_bang!' _and a piercing scream that shook my very soul.

Then something started soaking my socks and I glanced down to see the rapidly expanding puddle of blood forming under my feet.

And that was when I lost what remaining consciousness I had.

* * *

><p>That's all I remembered about the day my parents died because you can't expect 6 year old kids to have photographic memory, now can you?<p>

7 years have passed (because I miraculously survived through all the crap that comes along with life) and I was 13 now.

I was old enough to understand that that night, my parents were murdered and _pure luck_ was what saved my sorry butt from extinction.

I had run away from the orphanage 2 years ago, (That place was _horrid!_) and started the life I'm living now.

Which is really not a life one would wish for seeing as I'm practically on the verge of starvation, living in a cramped tight space that can hardly qualify as an apartment, and, for survival reasons, posing as a sixteen year old despite the fact that I'm, like, quite obviously not sixteen?

And so, adding all this complete crap together with the 'event' of the past, it is quite safe to say that I'm willing to take drastic measures to survive.

Which was why ever since I left the orphanage, I vowed that I would learn to be strong and _never_ let someone hurt me so much ever again.

But no matter _how_ determined I was, there was only so much a 13 year old kid can do.

Or so I thought.

It had all started with a simple letter that said,

_We are offering a well-paying job to unique people._

_All ages are accepted._

_If you want to apply, please fill out the form attached and call the following number._

_XXX-XXX-XXXX_

This was by far the most suspicious letter I have ever received and I really doubt anyone would be foolish enough to try it out because it's _so _totally a scam and stuff?

But my life was already messed up so why not be the idiotic fool and take a chance?

And so, using effort and energy that could have been wasted some other way, I filled out the form and it looked like this:

**Name: Mei Kurogane **(My name's weird. Deal with it.)

**Age: 13 **

**Gender: Female**

**Height: 4'11 **(why, lord, simply _why_ must I be _so _damn short?)

**Weight: around 70 pounds **(Here's a tip. If you ever need a diet, live with me for a while and I guarantee you will either starve, lose fifty pounds, or drop dead. Just saying.)

**History: I'm an orphan. My parents were killed when I was 6 and I don't know who's responsible. I ran away from the orphanage when I was eleven and I've been surviving on my own ever since. That is all. **(...and because I don't feel like telling you anything else, strange-person-who-I-don't-know)

I then proceeded to call the number and a man's voice answered,

'Hello, are you calling to apply for the jobs we offered?'

'Yes'

The fake job that probably doesn't exist but I'm calling you anyways because I'm so freaking _bored_ and I've got nothing better to do...

'Please tell us your address. We will send a black car to pick you up tomorrow at noon.'

I'm _sure _you will. While you're at it, why don't you send me a million bucks? That'd be helpful...

Meh.

I just shrugged to myself and gave him the address.

'XXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXX'

'Thank you. Have a nice day.'

Not.

I don't have _nice_ days, buddy, because do you know all the shit I've been through? DO YOU? No, I didn't think so...

Then I hung up and sat on my ragged little bed that was rotting apart (Was that slimy green thing _growing?_) and just lay there as I thought about how ridiculous this was.

I mean seriously, who's going to believe in something this cliche? (Like I said, _drastic measures._ When you're desperate, you'll do anything. Do you know how far I'd go for some well paying job? Despite the fact that it probably doesn't exist?)

As long as the police don't come banging on my door, I'm happy.

_**~ Tomorrow at noon~**_

_Dingdong~_

The doorbell rang (that hasn't happened for a long time since I never get visitors and I usually just shut the door in their face anyways...).

I opened the door...and you know the rest.

Picking up where we left off, I raised an eyebrow at the giant man and looked at him questionably while hiding a colorful array of (negative) feelings on the inside.

'You are the one who called to accept our offer yesterday, are you not?' he asked.

Oh.

And here I thought he was something sent from hell to screw up my life.

I guess I was wrong.

(I was right. But at this point in time, I didn't know about this very important and very significant fact that _could _have changed my life.)

'Yes, that was me.'

Yep, unfortunately it was sad little me...

'Please hand me the form included in the letter.'

You mean the creepy form I filled out to practice writing because I'm so pathetic I can't even afford paper?

'Sure'

I handed it to him and then he said,

'Follow me.'

...Say what?

This isn't a joke? How...suspicious.

And so, the giant man in a black suit lead me out on the streets to a sleek and shiny limo that I've never before laid eyes on let alone dared to ride on.

'Please get in, miss.'

I nodded, slightly blown away on the inside, but doing a half-decent job of concealing that on the outside. (Living in the streets do wonders for erasing emotions. You should try in sometime.)

'So about this job…' I asked as he drove the fancy vehicle.

'You'll be going through auditions.'

Auditions? Figures. I knew things were way too good to be true.

(Yeah, I mean come _on_, a random well-paying job out of the blue with no competition? Nooooo way.)

'We're here'

Enter mouth-dropping WOAH.

We had stopped at a giant mansion.

We're having auditions at a place like _this_? Just what the heck kind of job was I auditioning for?

As the man in the black led me into the mansion and walked past dozens of rooms, I wondered if it was such a good idea to apply for this...thing.

'I be leaving you here. Good luck.'

He then left and I quickly turned my attention to the ominous, evil-looking door in front of me.

I took a deep breath and it to find…

A classroom.

Well, not exactly a normal classroom, but more like some kind of super fancy room filled with lots of high quality desks and chairs (Damn rich people...)

Oh, and every desk had a thick packet and a pencil on it (Maybe some sorta test?)

Did I mention the people in the room?

I didn't, did I?

Well, for one thing, the youngest guy I saw looked about 18 and _every single person_ looked like they were some sort of evil, scary being that can probably give some random old lady a heart attack on the spot.

The said evil, scary beings varied from stony faced business men with powerful auras to nasty, automatically repelling, giant, ogre-like street thugs who have the classic 'get in my way and you will die' aura.

Oh, and one more thing.

The assassins.

The wonderful people of the room who radiated murderous killing intent and deathly aura that far overshadowed my own.

And I had thought that _I_ was creepy.

...You know what, screw being calm and collected, I need to do some major inner ranting.

_What the hell is this? _I sputtered in my mind.

* * *

><p><em>The <em>_Apocalypse has arrived._ I mentally groaned, letting loose with painfully negative comments in my mind due to the fact that if said out loud, certain death is guaranteed.

As I took a seat in the back to avoid attention, I felt many heated death-glares and heard people mutter stuff like,

'What's a little brat doing here? Does she want to die?'

'Children these days. Absolutely no brains.'

'A little girl? What sort of joke is this?'

The atmosphere in the room suddenly seemed much darker.

Well.

Thank you, everyone, for your warm and joyful welcome that makes me so happy I can just _die._

How nice of you all to display your (violet and murderous) feelings about me via deadly brain waves of malice and harm.

I appreciate it. I really do. And along with all that, I can guarantee myself that my life is officially screwed.

Oh, _joy_.

The door opened again and a young-ish guy with brown hair and sea blue eyes in a black suit walked in.

Probably our instructor.

'Silence.' he said. (more like demanded)

Everyone shut up instantly. (Wow, dramatic...)

He eyed every person in the room and was it just me or did he look at me a little longer?

I wonder why?

'_Maybe because I'm a little kid sitting in a room of grown-ups.' _ reasoned my brain seeing as I'm, like, a little brat in the midst of a group of deadly assassins?

'As you all know, this audition for a spot in our organization will have three parts.'

There's three parts? I didn't know that...

'There will be a section for intelligence and observation, a section for physical abilities, and if you do well enough to qualify, an interview. We will begin with observation and intelligence. For this section,please answer the following questions in this packet.'

So _that's _what the packet was for.

'In order to pass and move on to the next stage, you must finish the packet on your desk within 1 hour and get at least 80% of the questions right. I will be walking around to make sure there is no cheating.'

He finished his speech and started patrolling around.

I glanced at my packet and quickly got started on the first question, which was,

_Who is Joseph Valachi ,what happened to him in the year of 1930, where was he born, when was he born, and what is his claim to fame?_

Uh...what?

I did the normal thing and skipped on to the next question which happened to be,

_What is a __cinquedea, where was it developed, during what time period was it popular , why did the name mean 'five fingers', and what is its average length?_

...What...the heck? How surprising. I have a sudden indescribable urge to rip this packet apart.

But, being ever so calm and mature *cough* not really *cough* I took the time to scan the rest of the packet, since this is obviously a serious job that many people wanted.

One that I'm not giving up without a fight.

I started flipping the packet slowly and looking for any question I might know the answer to because if by any wild chance fate decided to be nice and grant me a freebie I don't want to miss it for being a lazy, air-headed slouch...

Then I noticed a particular question seemed to contain a rather familiar word.

_What short sword's name meant 'five fingers', was invented in Italy, was popular in the 15__th__ century, and was 45 cm in length?_

Where have I seen this before…AHA! AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PACKET!

Excited, I quickly checked to see if my theory was correct.

Sure enough, all the answers were in the packet. The answer to #1 was in #21, the answer to #2 was in #32 and the answer to #3 was in #43.

It was a puzzle!

Now that I've figured it out, the test was a breeze!

I finished with 5 minutes to spare and glanced around.

Everyone else was scribbling furiously and concentrating hard like the slowpokes they are who couldn't solve a puzzle that a thirteen year old figured out.

Only 3 other people were done.

Unsurprisingly, one of them was the sharp looking business man in a black suit.

Next, was a guy who was dressed up like an assassin.

And surprisingly, one of the street thugs also finished.

The instructor was still patrolling around and then he glanced at the clock.

'…Time's up. Everyone, put your pencils down and give me your tests.'

Groans echoed throughout the room.

Looks like there was going to be less competition from here on out.

That's a good thing because the instructor said there would be a section for physical skills and even though I'm quite strong for a 13 year old, compared to some people in this room, it would be like making an elephant complete with an ant. (Yes, they are THAT intimidating)

'Please wait calmly in this room. After we obtain the results, we will announce who has passed and is eligible to complete in the next round.' with that, he exited.

I was quite confident I got more than 80% correct.

Now the new question was, _who were my opponents_?

* * *

><p>As I waited for the results, the people around me started muttering quietly and I tried my best to blend in with the wall and stay unnoticed…and failed.<p>

Because I'm pathetic like that.

The guy who looked about 18 with messy blond hair and light green eyes came up to me and asked,

'Are you some sort of child genius? I'm quite sure that this organization wouldn't recruit ordinary children.'

'Ummmm…I've experienced things that are unsuitable for my age.'

That was technically true.

I've survived on my own without any help for 2 years and I had come out of a mini-massacre alive.

That counts, right?

'Interesting. Since we are the two youngest candidates, why not form an alliance? I'm sure it'll help the both of us get through the next stage.'

And suddenly, alarm bells screeched in my mind and I was on full guard.

After my long years of unwanted experience, I had learned that when people offer to be your allies, they usually come with less-than-pleasant hidden intentions.

Past memories did not help. No, not at all.

But, in _this_ situation, I needed_ all_ the help I can get seeing as if I don't, there's just...Oh...a 99.9% chance that I'll be ripped limb from limb and hurled headfirst into the after life.

So really, what choice do I really have?

I can always ditch him, can't I? (Yeah, I'm _that_ twisted)

'Sure.' I responded at last.

'My name is Luke Mignoga. '

'Mei.'

He smiled oh-so-charmingly with a wink and all, but I was only thirteen so I was immune to his...um...flirty-ness.

The instructor came back in and said,

'We will now announce the results. The following people scored above 80% on the test.'

_Finally_.

I get to see who my overwhelmingly powerful/scary/creepy competition's gonna be.

'Gennaro Giorodano, Mei Kurogane, Luke Mignoga, Desmond Murphy, and Shio Sanchez.'

Only five people? That's a shock…not.

I figured there wouldn't be too many people since when the time was up, half the room was still scribbling furiously. (HA. In your FACE. That's what you get for underestimating me...)

'Everyone who was not called, please leave.'

With a lot of grumbling, muttering, and cussing, all who were not called exited the room because they were all pathetic sore losers who can't accept the fact that the world hates EVERYONE.

No exceptions.

I looked at the few lucky (ish?)people who were still here.

All of them looked sharp, intimidating, and downright _deadly._

I was _so_ totally screwed.

Oh, wait, I forgot, I was screwed from the beginning! Silly me!

...Fuck my life.

* * *

><p>'Remaining candidates, please follow me.'<p>

_I am doomed._

He led us out of the mansion and into what I supposed was the garden.

The keyword word here is _supposed_.

It was more like a mega sized field filled with neatly cut bushes that created a seemly endless maze-like structure with a giant ten feet tall fountain right smack in the middle.

Considering how large it was, if someone got lost in there, they would probably never find a way out and rot in that maze like the dumb creatures they are who walked into the death trap on their own free will and couldn't think ahead for about ten seconds.

Oh, and in case you didn't notice, I said _free_ will.

I don't have a choice so I'm not included in the group of idiots I was commenting about...

'Your task is simple. You just have to reach the fountain and retrieve the item inside it without succumbing to the death traps and make it back to this spot with said item _alive_. First 3 to return will be accepted for the job. You are allowed to attack fellow participants. You may start whenever you like.'

Our _simple_ task was to _just_ avoid death traps in an _endless_ maze, retrieve an item, and come back _alive_.

_Really _simple, isn't it?

I was now glad I had an alliance with Luke.

There was no way I can possibly do this utterly insane hopeless task of suicidal-ness without help.

Not unless some sort of miracle grants me an instant shortcut free of death traps.

…Wait a sec.

Shortcuts.

The instructor never said we couldn't _cheat_, now did he?

I had a plan and all I needed was privacy and something sharp.

Well, I think it's a plan.

Sort of.

* * *

><p>No one had started yet (Fortunately. And because they are human and humans like to take their slow, merry time to prepare.)<p>

They were all getting ready and bringing out various deadly harm-inducing weapons and items with equal harm-inducing potential.

How come I didn't bring any?

Stupid me.

No, scratch that.

I wasn't stupid.

I just had a sudden case of momentary amnesia which caused me to forget that one unimportant little detail.

...You don't believe me do you?

I glanced over at Luke. He was pulling out a gun and a couple awesome looking daggers that glinted evilly.

He was supposed to be an ally right? (If not, well SCREW IT)

It can't hurt to ask for some help, right?

'Can I borrow one of those daggers? I didn't bring any weapons with me.'

He looked over at me and smiled warmly (Warmly? WTF? Are you trying to be my frigging _father_?) and then, in such a _nice_ tone, said,

'Sure.'

He tossed one over and I caught it (barely).

It was extraordinarily sharp, about 12 inches long and 1 inch wide (Not to mention really, really fancy. What are you, secret mafioso?...Don't answer that, I don't want to know.)

It would do pretty fine for what I had in mind.

Now the main question was, should I tell Luke about my plan?

I pondered over it for couple it for a couple seconds and thought, Nah…He can manage on his own.

If not, too bad.

It's a cruel world. Learn to deal with it.

I ran into the maze and went straight as far was possible until I ran into a dead end.

Now to try out my plan (-ish thingie. I really wouldn't call it a plan. It's more like something random that I thought up of to survive because randomness is necessary for survival in the streets of the cold, hard world.)

Using the dagger Luke gave me, I cut a slit just my height (this is one of the few times when I'm glad I'm short) and pushed the leaves and branches aside so it was sort of like a tiny door.

I squeezed through it, put the leaves back in place, and turned around to examine the spot I just came through.

It was unnoticeable and you can't tell there was a hole there unless you looked really, _really_ closely.

Yes! My plan would work!

I was the only person small enough to fit through such a tiny slit without leaving much evidence behind.

Anyone else would have to carve out a giant, gaping hole that would be noticed instantly.

This way, instead of taking the twists and turns, I can just go straight and avoid most traps.

You do realize that I said _most_ traps right? I never said _all._

Even though the route I took was waaaaaay shorter than anyone else's, that doesn't mean it isn't filled with deadly, life-threatening traps.

So far, I've narrowly avoided a pitfall filled with snakes, dodged a sudden wave of arrows (who the heck uses _arrows_ these days?), a mine, and a giant hound that didn't stop chasing me until I cut him up with my newly obtained dagger.

Sorry doggie, but I can't afford to die (I might be a low-level human, but personally, I still think my life is still worth more than that of a mentally deranged dog with a serious case of rabies).

Far behind me, I heard explosions, gunshots, shouts, and other sounds that signaled destruction of some unfortunate being.

Looks like someone's fighting.

Does this mean I'm ahead of everyone?

That's good, 'cuz if I run into one of my fellow participants, I wouldn't last more than 10 seconds in a battle. (No, I'm not ridiculously weak. I just can't fight seemly ridiculously strong people emitting fear-inducing auras.)

I quickened my pace and glanced behind me yet again when suddenly,

'SLAM!'

I was on the ground with a throbbing head.

No way, no way, no way. Tell me I did_ not_ run into someone! I'm too young to die!

I glanced up to see…Luke.

'Mei?' he said. He looked pretty shocked it was me and put his gun down.

'Heyyyy.'

'I'm surprised you're ahead of everyone else! I thought I was the only person who already made it this far. You really must be some sort of genius.'

'Ummm… yeah….'

I'm not a genius buddy, I just took a short cut.

'C'mon! We're allies right? Let's get going before the others catch up!'

He then grabbed my arm and started pulling me with him.

As _helpful_ as he was, I needed to shake him off because even though _he_ can probably survive any traps we run into, _I _can't.

But maybe running into him was a good thing.

I started weighing the pros and cons in my head.

Pros: If we run into other candidates, he can fight and perhaps give me a chance to run like hell, he can walk into traps first, _maybe _protect me, and lastly, supply me with weapons in case I lose my dagger.

Cons: I can't take shortcuts and he might backstab me.

I chose to stick with him.

After all, 3 people can make it, right?

'Hurry, we're almost there!' he called.

Sure enough, the giant fountain looked like it was only about 10 meters away and all we had to do was figure out which twists and turns to make.

SCREW SECRECY.

Victory was ten meters away and Luke was proving to be a trust worthy ally since he didn't kill me instantly and end my sorry life right then and there when I bumped into him.

'Wait!' I yelled. 'I know a shortcut!'

He stopped and looked at me with a surprised expression.

'Really?'

'Yeah, just hold on a bit.'

I took out the dagger he gave me and began carving out a slightly bigger hole.

This one_ wasn't_ gonna go unnoticed but compared to victory, it's a small price to pay.

I went through quickly and gestured for him to follow.

'So _this _is how you got ahead of everyone!' Luke exclaimed.

Uh...yeah. No duh, idiot. Did you really think I was actually _strong?_

I just shrugged and said,

'Let's go.'

* * *

><p>When we reached the fountain, we saw 3 silver pocket watches and I quickly grabbed one and left.<p>

Earlier, I had taken a few extra precautions and marked the path I took to find my way my back easier and avoid unnecessary traps because I'm smart like that and I actually think ahead unlike many beings in this universe.

As I retraced my steps, I looked behind me and saw that Luke wasn't following.

Good.

Now, the worst thing that can possibly happen was for me to run into a participant other than Luke.

Fat chance.

I was already halfway back and the others should be pretty far in the maze.

I saw the exit and sped up instantly, spurred on by the desire to _get the fuck out of here _and to obtain victory at last.

I ran over to the instructor and tossed him the silver watch in a smooth motion.

His raised an eyebrow.

Then he took the watch and said in a monotone voice,

'Congratulations, you are the first one to fin-'

He was suddenly cut off as Luke came charging out of the maze running away from…a bull?

Uh...people.

How the _heck_ did they keep a frigging _bull_ in this maze without it going on rampage and ripping the whole place apart?

We watched as Luke pulled out his gun and fired three shots.

Just three.

But that was enough.

'BANG! BANG! BANG!'

Seconds later the bull was lying dead at his feet.

Wow.

Good thing he's my ally.

'Here.' he said as he tossed his pocket watch at the instructor.

The guy caught the watch and said, in the same monotone voice,

'Congratulations you are the second one to finish.'

Was he some kind of robot? He seriously talked like one.

Then we waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Was it just me, or was there dead silence in the maze?

The instructor made a call on his cell phone and then turned to us.

'The rest of the participants have been…disqualified. They won't be returning.'

Disqualified?

I looked at him incredulously. Then I put two and two together.

Oh.

So they didn't survive…well, at least that explains the dead silence.

'Follow me.'

Oh boy.

Here comes the interview.

He led us to a room and told Luke to enter.

Great.

I'm get to be left alone to die slowly and painfully via interview torture.

After the past two tests, I was _quite _assured that this was _not _going to be normal by any means.

He led me a few rooms down, went in, sat on a couch, and finally said,

'You truly resemble your parents.'

..._Excuse me?_

I stared at him like he was batshit crazy.

He caught my expression and said,

'You don't know what's going on do you?'

I shook my head.

Am I supposed to know?

Sorry.

But dude.

You don't just randomly say seriously disturbing stuff like that.

'Sit down, this is going to be a long story.'

We sat on opposite sofas and he started.

'My name is Matt. I was your parents' partner in business. The truth is, no matter how badly you did on the written tests, you would've still been picked. In that maze, Luke was assigned to help you and make sure you survive. The object of this whole thing was _you_.'

What? My parents' business? What do they have to do with all this? And just what _was_ this business anyway?

'Just what sort of business is this?' I asked.

I _had_ to know because my not-so-awesome nature as a normal human being included curiosity and I felt that information is necessary for survival.

He shifted uncomfortably and said,

'Well…they were in the mafia.'

...Huh?

'Your parents wanted you to have a normal life and they hid the fact from you all those years. They knew priceless, top-secret information and the enemy assassinated them for it.'

I stared. I was shocked.

My parents were _Mafioso? _They were _assassinated_?

Also, why the are we having this talk right now and what happened to the interview that was supposed to take place?

...Okay, maybe that's unimportant right now but I needed to rant because when I'm confused, I like take out my stress in my imaginary world of happiness and joy and other cheesy stuff that you really don't have to know about.

And while we're at it, why would you go ahead and do the exact opposite of what my parents wanted?

'But then why did you recruit me when my parents said they wanted me to have a normal life?'

'Errrr…well you see…'

'_Yes?'_

I'm not into drama so cut to the chase and answer the damn question.

'Any chances of you having a normal life were gone the moment your parents were killed. We decided to keep an eye on you and bring you into this world when you were of age. '

'So then why didn't you just tell me instead of putting me through all this?'

Seriously.

Wouldn't it be a lot easier to just _tell me_ rather than go through all the trouble of staging fake auditions?

'We wanted to test your abilities to see if you were cut out for the job. Oh, and by the way, good job on coming up with a strategy in the maze. Seems like you inherited your mother's cleverness.'

Of course. I wouldn't have been able to survive on my own all those years out in the harsh, lonely, world of cruelty and unfairness if I wasn't clever.

'Anymore questions?'

'Nope'

I was quite sure I understood everything.

'Speaking of inheritance, since your parents are dead and you have no other relatives, you get all the money your parents left behind.'

Money? Sweetness! I could always use some extra cash.

'How much?'

'Well, to simplify things…you're a billionaire now.'

* * *

><p><strong>Yeah...kind of lame and stuff, but t<strong>**he characters you're familiar with will show up in later chapters! **

**So**** just hang in there! **

**And...review for me? Pretty please? **

**I'd love to hear your opinions and by all means, throw in some critics!**


	2. To Be Dragged Into Mafia Parties

**Dino is here and more action starts!**

**I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn**

* * *

><p>I groaned as I woke up.<p>

Let's see, where was I again?

I don't ever recall having a bed this comfy…Oh yeah, I took a fake test and found out my parents were in...the mafia...

I grimaced as the memories of yesterday invaded my poor brain that was still recovering from information overload.

Apparently I was a billionaire now and I would never have to worry about money again.

I also recall Matt saying he would give me a tour today and introduce me to some random people that I really didn't care about.

I searched for something to wear in my over-sized closet filled with extravagant clothes that were strangely my size and found the plainest and simplest outfit.

Which just so happened to be a white ruffled T-shirt made with some kind of super soft material and black leather shorts plus knee high boots with two silver buckles on it.

What the heck is up with these peoples' fashion sense?

And how come no matter how hard I look I can't find a perfectly ordinary, regular t-shirt?

Apparently, rich people never wear ordinary t-shirts. Go figure.

I quickly went into my bathroom and looked at my reflection.

Same old waist long black hair and bangs.

My pale skin looked even paler than usual.

I wonder why?

Maybe it was because of the immense stress of everything that happened yesterday and the fact that I was chased around a maze by a rabid hound that later had bloody death courtesy of yours truly.

My freakishly bright, silver eyes, blinked back at me in the over-sized mirror and I quickly made myself presentable.

Then I sat on my bed and waited for the newly discovered human being by the name of Matt.

Maybe I was up early?

I decided to reminisce about the things that happened yesterday.

**_~Flashback~_**

I gaped at him in disbelief and said,

'I'm a _what_?'

'Like I said, your parents were high ranking mafioso so yeah...they were really rich.'

I sat there, dumbstruck.

_I_ was a billionaire?

Me, that sad little poor, under-aged kid living in a tiny apartment who never got enough to eat was _rich_?

Well, I guess this was good news...

'You're probably tired, aren't you?'

True. I was getting sleepy.

What time was it? I lost track a while after we started our conversation in this room.

'Follow me, I'll lead you to your room.'

'I have a room here?'

'Yes, it was prepared before we sent you the letter.'

Wow, I never knew that human beings other than myself could be intelligent enough to plan ahead!

Don't blame me, I lived in the streets for a year before I got an apartment...

Some of the people I encountered were so stupid they couldn't tell the difference between wood and cardboard.

We walked down the hall and stopped at a door with the name **Mei Kurogane** ingraved on it in big, silver letters.

Nice. Reaaal Nice.

Being rich definitely has perks...

I walked in and Matt waved at me from the door.

'See you tomorrow! I'll be giving you a tour of the mansion since you'll be staying here for awhile. Oh, and I'll also introduce you to some new people.'

'Right'

I closed the door and examined my room closely.

There were dark blue, velvet curtains framing a large, glass window next to a small-ish(compared to the rest of the room) wooden desk.

On the other side of the room, there was a walk-in closet and a expensive looking queen-sized bed plus a personal bathroom with a Jacuzzi.

I poked the pillow.

It was so_ soft_!

I could totally get used to this.

**_~ End Flashback ~_**

There was a knock on the door and I called out,

'Come in.' in my usual bored voice of uncaring-ness that I never bothered to insert emotion into.

The door opened to reveal Matt dressed in somewhat casual clothes (o_nly_ if your idea of _casual_ involves a leather jacket,a high-collared white T-shirt with a tie, black pants, and leather shoes. Must be a mafia thing. At least it's better than a suit, isn't it?)

'Mei! Good morning! I see you wake up early!'

'Oh hey, Matt' I responded.

'You remember what I said yesterday right? Well, let's get started on your tour!'

We exited the room and he started telling me about all the twists and turns in the mansion.

After listening to him ramble on and on for about 2 hours, I just tuned him out and gazed around at everything lazily because I'm a laid back person who loses attention when a lecture hits the 30 minute mark.

Just how long was this tour?

Did I really have to know about _every teeny tiny detail_?

Suddenly, my stomach grumbled loudly and I blushed a dark shade of red.

Matt glanced at me and chuckled.

'You haven't had breakfast either, have you?'

Of course I haven't, you idiot!

I had to put up with you rambling on about utterly pointless _crap_ from the moment I walked out of my room!

'No.' I muttered.

'Well, let's go down to the dining hall and grab a bite to eat!'

We changed directions and soon arrived at a large room filled with fancy tables and chairs. (I still have a hard time accepting the fact that I'm rich)

A butler came and greeted us immediately.

'Good morning. What would you like for breakfast today?'

Matt glanced at me expectantly and I quickly said,

'Some toast and milk please.'

I just spewed out some random stuff off the top of my head while Matt said,

'The usual, please.'

Hey, don't blame me.

I was practically penniless until yesterday and I never, _ever_ ordered stuff at restaurants because I was too poor to do so and if I had the money to do that, I would've used it on something useful like a giant stock of bread or something.

'Please wait a few moments. I will come back with your order.'

The butler bowed and left.

Man, I really wasn't used to this sort of stuff at_ all_!

Matt and I sat down at a table and started talking.

'So, who are you going to introduce me to?'

'Well, our little group doesn't have many members and most of them are on missions anyways so I'll introduce you to some of your parents' close friends. You already know Luke, don't you? The people you meet will also be your trainers since you technically _are_ a new recruit.'

'Great.'

My parents' friends as trainers huh? Wonder what they'll be like...

'Your meal has arrived.' said the butler.

He had a cart with what I _assumed_ was our breakfast.

'Thanks' I said

He smiled nicely and then set up the table.

'Please enjoy.'

I glanced down at my plate and saw...the fanciest piece of toast ever created in the history of fancy toast.

I'm not kidding!

It was the perfect shade of golden brown and it was decorated with exquisite designs made of some sort of syrup that seemed to_ sparkle_.

Seriously, how the heck did they get it to _sparkle_ like that?

It shouldn't be possible! And toast goes with syrup? I thought that was only for pancakes...

And did I mention the absolutely flawless strawberries and blueberries stacked in the middle?

Don't even get me started on the milk.

It was practically heaven in a cup!

After I finished the most _epic_ breakfast of my life, I looked over at Matt who was also almost done.

Since I didn't want to listen to him go on and on about the utterly pointless details on the mansion anymore, I asked,

'Sooooooo, since we're done with the tour, who am I going to meet first?'

_Please _tell me the tour's over. I can't take another 2 hours of pointless lectures of complete crap!

He swallowed and said,

'Well, Alicia was your mom's best friend so I'll introduce you to her first. She specializes in gathering information, computers, and managing money.'

Gathering information?

Oh, right.

Mafia stuff.

He finished his meal and lead me through the winding hallways yet again.

A couple minutes later, we were standing in front of a door that was decorated quite nicely.

'Alicia! I'm here with our new member!'

The door opened and revealed the woman who I supposed was Alicia.

'Come on in!' she said.

We entered the room to find…all types of electronics, probably every type of computer ever invented , a large desk, and a couple chairs.

Daaaang.

No wonder she's the information specialist.

'You must be Mei!' she exclaimed. 'You look just like a vampire!'

'Ummmmm, thanks?' I said in confusion.

Well, aren't you the polite one.

'Hey, Alicia, that's rude.' Matt scolded.

'Oh, sorry! It was a joke that I shared with your mom. I always teased her about how she looked like a vampire! You look just like her so it just slipped out!'

'Oh, it's alright.'

Even I had to admit, I sorta did look like a vampire.

All I was missing was some fangs and red eyes (and _no_ I am _not_ into Twilight and the moment some random girl I meet goes into a rant about vampires and their awesome sparkles I want to kill something and then stay out in the sun for a few hours and get a tan which is sadly impossible because I burn in less than ten minutes and I needed massive amounts of sunscreen. Don't. Rub. It. In. I will slaughter you if you do.)

'Mei, Alicia's going to teach you how to manage money and computers.'

Hmm? Oh yeah, he mentioned something about training I think.

'Soooooo...wanna get started?' Alicia asked.

'Sure, why not?'

'I'll leave you two at it then.' said Matt.

He then went out the door and closed it behind him.

'Alright! First of all, you need to get a personal laptop! As a present from me, pick any one from this room!' Alicia said excitedly.

'Really? Any one of them?'

'Yep!'

Wow, that was nice of her.

I had always wanted a laptop but me being that poor little girl next door, I never had the money to afford such awesomeness called technology.

I looked around the room in search of something that suited my rather unique tastes.

I searched for a long time, but sadly, none of them were my type.

Then a gleam caught my eye.

I headed towards it and found the perfect match.

It was a small/medium sized all-black laptop that had a fancy rose design on top.

I opened it and it revealed a snow-white keyboard that fitted my fingers _perfectly_ and a silver mouse.

Oh, and there was another little rose symbol on the left corner but that's an unimportant detail...

I didn't even bother looking at the rest because I knew that this was_ the one_.

I picked it up and asked,

'Can I have this one?'

Alicia looked up from the computer she was typing at.

When the heck did she start typing?

'Of course! Now that you have your own laptop, I'll teach you how to manage it!'

And that was how my first lesson started.

* * *

><p>'So how was Alicia?' Matt casually asked.<p>

He had come back to pick me up a couple hours later.

'She was..._.surprising_'

During the first couple minutes, it was all fun and games and joy and happiness and all those other positive emotions that I don't feel like listing.

She taught me how to customize my laptop and set up nearly unbreakable security barriers.

_Then_ came the hard stuff.

When she started teaching me how to hack and gather information, she was _dead _serious.

During that period, she made me stand in sitting position and copy information at absolutely _insane_ speeds.

If I didn't finish within the time limit, I would have to do the entire thing_ 3 times over_.

She also drilled passwords for a variety of important things into my brain until I could type them in my sleep and by the time we were done, I felt _dead._

I had learned a very important lesson today.

Just because someone_ seems _nice, it doesn't mean they can't be totally _brutal_ trainers.

* * *

><p>'Hey, where are we going?' I asked.<p>

We were in a part of the mansion that I hadn't seen yet and my curiosity was getting the better of me.

'Remember Luke? I'm taking you to see him. He's going to be one of your trainers as well.'

He was one of my trainers? Wonder what he'll teach me.

'We're here.' he said.

In front of us was a simple metal door.

Matt knocked and the door opened to reveal Luke.

'Oh, hey. I've been waiting for you. Mei's with you, right?'

Matt nodded and I waved a little.

'See ya later.' Matt said.

He then turned around and left, yet again.

Why am I getting a sinking sense of deja vu?

'Well, since you already know me, I'll skip introductions and go straight into training. Do you like weapons?'

Weapons? So he was gonna teach me how to fight?

Great.

'Sorta.'

I really didn't know how to handle weapons because in my life, when there's danger, you have two plans.

Plan A: Talk yourself out. If that doesn't work then go

Plan B: Run like hell because a little girl doesn't stand a chance against over-weight city delinquents with a serious thing for cigarettes. (My speed is my best skill. I've never been caught yet)

Fighting never really made sense so I didn't know what sort of training to expect.

I hoped he wasn't like Alicia.

Even though she was fun to be around, she was _harsh_.

'Since you're a newbie, we'll start with basic weapons and move on from there.'

'Now this is how you...'

He went on and on explaining about how to use simple weapons like pocket knives and daggers and I actually paid attention.

'Alright, do you get the gest of it now?'

'I think so.'

How hard can it be to swing a little blade around?

Very hard, apparently.

Luke started correcting my form, teaching me different moves, telling me about different styles, giving demonstrations, and making me try it out myself.

Now, don't get me wrong.

I'm not trying to say that Luke's just like Alicia.

He was more...considerate. He planned things out.(Sorta. Well, at least compared to Alicia he did.)

As opposed to Alicia who just went, 'YOU HAVE 3 MINUTES TO COPY THIS DOCUMENT! READYSETGO!', he first explained how to do it and told me why I would need to know this stuff in a real battle.

Since he was so considerate and always made sure I wasn't totally confused, I got the hang of it real fast.

But that doesn't mean it wasn't extremely tiring.

* * *

><p>After about thirty minutes of repeating the same set of moves over and over, Luke said,<p>

'You've got it down well enough! Let's try sparring!'

THAT was when things got freakin'_ painful_.

Although he was nice enough to hold back and to go easy on me, I was still covered in scratches and didn't get a _single_ hit on him!

I swear, that guy is_ ridiculously_ strong!

'Well, you have pretty nice reflexes! Now you just have to learn how to use a gun, spear, staff, sword, and random objects lying around as deadly weapons!'

_Just _learn how to use a gun, spear, dagger, and sword.

_Just_ learn how to use random objects lying around as weapons.

Am I the only one who thinks that something is seriously wrong with that?

After a couple hours of sparing with Luke, Matt came back to pick me up_ again_.

The first thing he said to me was 'Wow, Luke actually went easy on someone. That's a first. Normally his students come out with twice the amount of wounds you have.'

Gee, thanks, that makes me feel a whole lot better my oh-so-considerate friend.

'Since you're this beat up, it's a good thing my training's next.'

THERE WAS MORE?

'We should hurry up before you bleed to death.'

Why, thank you for noticing that I'm bleeding, but more importantly, THERE'S MORE?

What the heck can I do when I'm currently a bloody pulp with one foot in the grave?

Matt glanced at my expression and said ' Don't worry, I teach history and first aid.'

Oh.

Well, _I, _for one, could definitely use some first aid.

We arrived in a room which appeared to be a miniature hospital and Matt told me to sit down.

'You need to learn to deal with your own wounds since you're gonna hurt pretty often.'

I was gonna get hurt pretty often?

Divine being of the universe known as the great Kami-sama, _please _don't tell me I have go through this madness called training every day...

No such luck. I was later informed that is was my permanent schedule.

Matt got out some bandages and other stuff and started to teach me the first-aid details that all good mafioso should know.

'First you have to clean the wound to make sure it doesn't get infected, then wrap it like this and then...'

As he explained, he demonstrated on my cuts and scratches and then told me to try by myself.

It was pretty easy actually.

You just had to clean the wounds and then wrap the the bandages securely so it doesn't fall off.

After I was all patched up, history classes started.

* * *

><p>'We are called the Segreto family. We're very famous just about anywhere and everyone knows our name.'<p>

Really? That's pretty ironic considering the name literally means 'secret'.

'Our family isn't exactly an official mafia family. We're more like a band of talented people who work for any family in the Family Alliance.'

'So who's the boss?'

'We don't have one but we _do_ have ranks'

'Ranks?'

'Yes. It's based on strength and experience. You're no exception. Even though your parents were in high ranks, you have to start from the bottom and work your way up.'

Oh, such a shame...world domination (well, more like mafia-family domination...But who can tell the difference?) was so close...

'HOWEVER, this doesn't mean anyone is more important than anyone else. If a member is in trouble, then any fellow member _must_ help. Just think of our family as a big group of super close friends. If you ever need help, send our private SOS signal and someone should show up. And before you ask, I'll be teaching it to you later.'

Aw, how sweet of you guys!

Too bad you didn't consider this one obvious problem.

'What if no one's around?'

'That's not likely. Our members are all over the world but there's always a ally within 100miles. We do our best to keep track of everyone's location and make sure that back-up is available at almost all times.'

Oh.

Well, _excuse_ me for not knowing about the awesome-ness that is my new family...

'How many members do we have?'

'About 64, counting you.'

'Is that few?'

'Compared to official families, _very_, but remember, we're not official. We're more like a little mini army that helps them out when things get bad. All of our known members are extremely loyal and well trained.'

'_I'm_ well trained?' I said incredulously.

Friend, the best I can do is grab a random stick/knife/pencil/milk carton and bang it on whatever being that might have gone through the trouble of trying to hurt an unimportant little girl with a jacked up life.

...

And I can use a knife...And...umm...karate? It's more like self-trained street fighter skills. (HEY. You try living in the streets of Italy. You need at least SOME common fighting knowledge although I prefer fleeing.)

'I said _known_ members. We'll make sure that you can fend for yourself before we let other families know about you.'

Oh. That makes more sense.

'When'll that happen?'

'In about a year, unless you complete training early. We'll take you to a party and introduce you to other families.'

Oh _joy._ Can't wait for that to happen...NOT.

'Am I the youngest?'

'Yes, but don't worry. Some people had started when they were 10 and they're still alive today.'

Really? And they didn't go insane? This should be put in the world record books...

'Who?'

'Luke.'

Ohhhhhhh. No _wonder_ he's so strong!

If he endured this stuff from the moment he was ten then it was quite a feat to still be mentally balanced and qualify as a perfectly sane human being.

'Speaking of age, whenever a member turns 14, they receive their first mission.'

'Does that include me?'

'Yes.'

_Great._ This just keeps getting better and better doesn't it?

'So what's my mission?'

Suddenly, Matt seemed a little on edge.

'We'll tell you about that a couple day's before you leave.'

'Leave?'

'Yeah, you're mission's in Japan.'

'_Japan_?'

Dang, that's a long way!

'Yup! In the meantime, you'll stay here and everyone will help you become an excellent mafioso!'

How _awesome._

In a year, I'll be introduced to deadly criminal organizations, trained well, and then be heading to Japan for a mission I don't even know about yet.

Isn't that just totally_ wonderful_?

'Anymore questions?'

'No.'

Because I don't want to know what sort of horrors await me in this messed up thing called life in the mafia.

'Well, since this is technically your first day, I'll let you go early.'

Really? How nice.

'Do you know the way to your room?'

'I think so.'

Yeah, I _would _know considering the fact that you gave me a 2 hour lecture on the mansion.

Looks like my stay here was going to be _really_ busy.

* * *

><p><em><strong>~ A Really Long Time Later~<strong>_

About 11 months have passed and I was now 14 and a half-decent-ish mafioso.

In that time, I had learned how to use many different weapons even though I specialize in none, gained pretty good reflexes, learned how to hack computers, and could treat nearly any wound on a human being that is still breathing (And I GREW! Yes! Just a couple more inches to go!...But I'm still short...).

Right now I was the center of attention in a room filled with highly dangerous mafioso capable of ending a life with the snap of a finger.

What the hell happened?

Let's see...

_**~ About three hours ago ~**_

It was just a 'normal' day in the mansion when suddenly, Alicia came up to me (_charged _at me and got _right up in my face)_ and said,

'There you are! I've been looking all over for you! Follow me! Quick!'

'Huh?'

Was my intelligent response.

She grabbed my arm and dragged me to...a room filled with fancy dresses, make-up artists, hair-stylists, and a single, evil-looking chair.

Oh hell no.

'Alicia...what's going on?'

My sixth sense is screaming to me 'Run for you life, idiot!'

'We're preparing you for a party!' Alicia cheerfully announced.

'Party?'

Don't tell me...

'Yeah! We're going to announce your existence to the mafia world!'

...I thought so.

'Do I really have to go through all this? Can't I just put on a dress and be on my way?'

Oh, how I _hated_ make-up.

It was like my long-lost arch-enemy (It was just so...icky. And fake. And powdery and messy and horrid and...yeah, you get the idea...)

And to me, hair-stylists were a complete waste of time considering I always leave my hair down or put it up in a simple ponytail at times to keep it out of my face (like during sparring).

'NO. YOU MUST DRESS APPROPRIATELY AND LOOK GORGEOUS.' Alicia ordered with dangerous fire glinting in her eyes.

With that, she forced me into the chair and the horrid ordeal as a dress-up doll began.

Two hours later, my hair was in this really fancy curly hairstyle and I was in a white/silver, short sleeved dress that ended a couple inches above my knees that had this black corset-ish thing that squeezed my waist and silver and white ruffles starting from there.

The procedures were _horrible_ and I could have swore these people were doing it on purpose.

Was that someone chuckling outside the door?

If I ever find out that 'someone' told them to make the process as painful as possible I guarantee I will murder someone.

Did I mention how horrible the make-up felt? ( I mean... it's just...make-up. Urg.)

It was like my face was covered in a thick mask of drying mud that reeked of stuff I didn't have a name for.

'You look absolutely fabulous!' Alicia cried.

Fabulous? I certainly didn't _feel_ fabulous. On the contrary, I fell like the complete opposite.

During the time I was going through torture, Alicia had put on a dark green gown that reached the floor, applied make-up, and made her light brown hair all wavy and fancy looking.

How come _she_ didn't have to go through the hell _I_ went through?

'Are you two ready?' a familiar voice called.

'Yep! We're all set!' Alicia answered cheerfully.

Well.

Looks like the boys are all dressed up as well.

Apparently, Luke had even gone through the trouble of using hair gel to tame his usually messy blond hair just for this occasion.

I guess I should appreciate it, but...after that horrid sequence of torture under the cover of 'applying make-up?'

No. I don't think so.

As for Matt, his dark brown hair was just the same as usual because he's the type of person who really doesn't care and is just so damn lucky that he's a guy.

Again, it never ceases to amaze me on how a man's life is so much easier than one of a girls.

We went into a limo and were on our (not-so) merry way.

'So what families are going to be there?' I asked.

I hoped none of the major families were there.

I _really_ didn't need the unwanted attention of deadly criminal organizations that can make nuclear warfare seem minor if they ever go on rampage. (Trust me, I know what I'm talking about...)

'Oh, there's many but the important one's are the Cavallone and Vongola.' Matt replied.

Noooooooooo...

'Don't worry, after we introduce you, you can hide in a corner or something.' said Luke.

Yep, that's _exactly_ what I'm gonna do.

A couple weeks ago, Matt had told me that our members were so popluar that all known members had a giant waiting list of clients and nearly every family wanted to recruit us because we were just _so _totally awesome like that.

He said that since we were unofficial, we could join other families, but everyone tried to refrain from doing so since that would probably cause the rest of our members to be hunted down and pestered constantly by pointless requests, or missions, or recruitment, or information selling or...yeah lots of stuff.

Not that they weren't _already,_ mind you.

The car stopped and we arrived.

In front of us was a mansion even bigger than our own and the guard asked us for our names and invitations.

When we stated our names, his eyebrows shot up and he promptly yelled,

'The Segretos are here!' in a unnecessarily loud voice and successfully broadcasted our existence to the room of sheer _death _waiting to happen.

And _that _was why we were now the dead center of attention.

_**~ End Flashback~**_

* * *

><p>I gulped as I looked around the elegantly decorated room.<p>

People noticed us immediately and began heading our way with malicious glints in their eyes that spelled trouble and possible kidnapping.

And yes. I can tell. I've had much experience via Segreto Style Spartan Training.

'Is this the new member?' one of them asked.

'Yes.' said Matt. ' Her name is Mei and she just joined us recently.'

They started eyeing like a pack of wolves and I was tense and ready to take action.

'So how old are you?'

'14'

Underneath my completely fake mask of calm and peace, I was dead nervous and definitely not going to last for long.

I mean, hello? They could sort of _kill_ me? Or my family?

One of the things that Matt taught me was that is if you show weakness, other mafioso will take advantage of it _instantly _because they are such evil douche-bags who do stuff like that for whatever petty selfish desires they might have.

'Does that mean you'll be receiving a mission soon?'

'Her mission has already been decided.'

They looked like they were going to ask more but suddenly, much to my relief, a voice yelled,

'The Cavallone Family is here!'

Heads swiveled and the crowd dispersed rapidly.

I breathed out a sign and glanced at my tutors.

'Can I go hide now? That was downright creepy just now.'

Seriously, it _was_.

'Sure.' said Luke.

'We'll look for you when we're about to leave.' added Alicia.

'Good Luck.' called Matt.

I looked around and decided to head to the balcony where it seem empty and quiet and free of ill-intending mafioso.

There was a little table with some juice and a couple chairs not to mention the fact that no one can see me thanks to the thick curtains.

I relaxed and sipped a cup of juice as I admired the view.

_It's so nice... _I thought.

Too bad it wasn't gonna last long because this is the mafia world and when you're happy, someone will make sure to ruin it because that's the way things work and it's an unending cycle of misfortune that can't be broken and never will since no one in the past 400 years had such insanely good luck.

Which is why the balcony door suddenly flew open and slammed shut.

I nearly spilled my juice all over my ridiculously expensive dress in surprise.

A man with messy, long-ish blond hair was panting heavily and muttering something about rabid fangirls.

I raised an eyebrow and decided to find out what the heck was wrong.

'Hey.' I said.

I swear the guy nearly jumped 3 feet in the air when he heard my voice.

Then he turned around and said,

'Oh, hey there. I didn't see you.'

Yeah, everyone says that because I'm an insignificant little prick who's existence doesn't deserve to be recognized...

'It's alright. Care to tell me why you were in such a rush?'

Yeah, why would a grown man be panting heavily while hiding on a balcony muttering about rabid fangirls?

'Well, I was being chased by fangirls and this seemed like a good place to hide so I came here. Sorry if I'm bothering you.'

You just ruined my precious moment of peace and happiness.

Of course you're not bothering me.

'Oh, it's okay. I'm practically here for the same reason.'

Yeah, I was avoiding all the deadly mafioso that might try to get me to join a family, accept a mission, sell information, ect.

'My name's Dino. I'm the boss of the Cavallone Family.'

HOLY CRAP.

This guy was the boss of the third strongest family in our alliance?

No wonder he has rabid fangirls.

'I'm Mei.'

'So why are you apart from the rest of the party?'

He didn't know who I was? Yes! It's a miracle!

Thank you God for showing mercy and giving me this one miracle that prevents me from being mobbed by deadly human beings known as power-crazy mafioso.

'I wanted some peace and quiet.'

Was my very detailed and very honest response.

It can't hurt to keep him in the dark, now can it? (Maybe it can, but who cares?)

We started talking about random stuff and soon, he said,

'You're a nice friend! Can I have your phone number so we can keep in touch after this party?'

I'm nice? I never knew that...Thank you for informing me about this important fact.

'Sure, it's XXX-XXX-XXXX. What's yours?'

Did I mention I had a cell phone?

It's black and shiny and I got one for my birthday.

After we traded numbers, a middle aged man with glasses and a mustache opened the balcony door and said,

'Boss! There you are! We've been looking all over for you! The party's almost over!'

'Oh, sorry Romario. I was hiding from fangirls and lost track of time talking with Mei.'

Oh, he forgot about time for me?

I feel so honored...

My existence has finally been acknowledged...

When Romario saw me, his eyes widened.

'Aren't you the new member of the Segreto organization?'

Aww crap. There goes my cover.

Dino did a double-take and gawked at me.

'You're the new member of that famous organization! You're the talk of the mafia! Why didn't you tell me!'

Cuz I didn't want to.

'Err...you said you were the boss of the Cavallone family, so at first I thought you'd try to recruit me like the others. Sorry I hid that from you...'

Meh, and I was having so much fun, too...

He recovered and said,

'Don't worry! I wouldn't do such a thing since I know that you'd just refuse. Besides, I had a good time chatting with you. Hope we can meet again!'

He waved as subordinate, Romario, dragged him off to the direction of a group of men in suits.

Probably the rest of his men.

I waved back and suddenly remembered that Romario said the party was almost over.

Oh, man, that meant Alicia and the others were probably looking everywhere for me.

I went back in the building and soon enough, Luke spotted me and exclaimed,

'There you are! We were starting to think you were kidnapped since we couldn't find you!

'Sorry, I was on the balcony.'

Geez, you thought I was kidnapped?

I'm not _that_ pathetic.

'The others are waiting in the limo! Let's go!'

As we made our way to the limo, I thought I saw a pair of dark, gleaming eyes staring at me but it suddenly vanished.

I shrugged it off.

This was a mafia party. It could have been anything.

* * *

><p><strong>Did you like it? Dislike it?<strong>

**Guess who the one with the gleaming eyes is :)**

** Please Review!**

**l **

**l**

**V **


	3. Where The Tuna And The Octopus Appear

**New Chapter! **

**Tsuna finally appears!**

**And did you figure out who the other person in the last story was?**

**It was at the very end of the chapter.**

**Hint: He's really, really small.**

**I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.**

* * *

><p>I waved from the plane's window as take-off began.<p>

I didn't know how I felt about all this.

Yesterday, Matt had explained my mission and truth to be told, I was shocked.

I had thought I was prepared for_ anything_, but his words had caught me off guard.

~_**Yesterday~**_

'Hey, Mei, are you all packed?' Matt asked.

'Yep'

I was all set and ready to go. All that was left was for Matt to explain the mission to me.

But why did he look so uncomfortable? Was my company really that bad?

He took a deep breath and said,

'You know when I told you your parents died protecting valuable information?'

I nodded slowly.

This was a sensitive topic for me despite the fact that I'm practically a cold block of ice when it comes to feelings.

'Well, the information they were protecting is the whereabouts of the soon-to-be Vongola Tenth.'

My eyes widened. Vongola's next heir? That was big.

The Vongola family was the strongest, biggest, and most powerful family in the entire alliance.

Oh, and they also killed thousands of people effortlessly but that's not important.

I felt sort of proud that my parents died protecting such important information but at the same time, slightly bitter and hateful towards this 'Vongola Tenth'.

He was the reason I had to endure all those harsh, lonely, years of pain.

He was the reason I lost my only family and the only people who actually gave a crap or two about me and loved me for what I was.

I had every right to hate the ungrateful little douche bag who probably had no idea what I went through for him.

'So?' I asked.

I appreciate the helpful information about who I should curse for all eternity but why now?

'Well, your mission is to protect the Vongola Tenth candidate Sawada Tsunayoshi.' He said quietly.

I froze.

What?

'Vongola Ninth wanted someone strong to befriend and guard Tsunayoshi. He's still unfamiliar with the mafia. You were about his age and you can easily befriend him. You would be continuing the mission your parents started. Protecting Sawada Tsunayoshi.'

He then looked at me worriedly.

'I understand if you want to turn down the mission but please think about it. Your parents died protecting this man. It makes sense that you carry on the mission in their stead.'

'It's fine. I'll still take on this mission.'

'Are you sure?'

'_Yes_.'

He then left the room shooting concerned glances over his shoulder.

I was lost in my thoughts.

Protect the stupid douche bag who's responsible for the painful murder of my parents.

Sounds so nice, huh?

But I had trained for an _entire year_ for this. There's no way I'm backing down now.

Plus, my parents had started this mission.

It made perfect sense that I should continue it and I had my pride as a member of my family.

I wasn't gonna let my overly negative emotions make me do something shameful that I will regret later on.

Besides, this guy was only partially responsible for what happened.

It's not like he was the one who killed my parents in cold blood and walked off mwuhahaha-ing about it.

He might actually be nice for all I know.

But deep down, I knew I still disliked him.

**_~ End Flashback ~_**

As I looked out the window, I decided to end my inner turmoil and deal with things when it happens.

It was going to be I long trip so with nothing better to do, I slept.

* * *

><p>I looked at the building before me.<p>

It was the best apartment in town and I was going to stay here for my entire mission.

I walked in and got the keys to my room.

When I opened the door, my first thought was, _did someone move my entire room here while I was gone?_

It was the _exact replica_ of the my room back at the mansion just arranged slightly differently with a kitchen and a living room.

When my tutors said that they had prepared 'a comfy place' THIS wasn't what I had in mind.

I can't believe they made an exact copy of my room here just for my comfort! I'm gonna miss those guys...

I noticed a large envelope on my bed and opened it up.

It contained a photo of the thing called Sawada Tsunayoshi and a letter from my tutors.

_Hey Mei!_

_I thought I'd let you know that we took care of all the little stuff like your clothes and we registered you in Namimori Middle. The uniform should be in your closet and remember, Sawada doesn't know about the mafia yet so don't get him involved until you see signs that the hitman Reborn has come, 'kay?_

_We might also contact you for family matters such as meetings,parties,ect._

_Watch out for assassins!_

_From Alicia_

Oh lord.

They chose my clothes?

I hope they figured out that I like simple stuff during the year I lived with them because the last thing I need is a wardrobe filled with clothes that would instantly draw attention and brand me as 'that rich girl' whenever I go out in public (which is really ironic considering I used to be practically penniless)

I then set up my laptop and prepared to leave the suite for a bit cuz I needed fresh air.

I'm pretty sure I can walk around town without being assassinated.

But if they do come, I can handle them.

After all the training I received, I knew how to survive assassins.

The important word here is 'survive'. I never said I can defeat them.

I just escape them if they're unprofessional because they are stupid little things that didn't read the How To Assassinate People Successfully book and epic failed because I detected their presence.

As I was wondering the streets of Namimori, I made sure to take notice of possible escape routes and shortcuts.

You never know when you might need them.

After I had examined the entire town, I decided to go back to my apartment and hit the hay since my mission officially starts tomorrow at school.

* * *

><p>The next morning, I put on my customized Namimori uniform and exited out the window.<p>

Why? Because it's faster that way and because it's good way to use my otherwise totally useless not-so-impressive skills.

I walked from my apartment to the school entrance and I entered the front office to ask for my schedule.

'Mei Kurogane, transfer student?'

I nodded.

Yeah, who the heck else would it be?

'Here's your schedule. Your first class is Math. Would you like a guild?'

I shook my head no because I'm quite sure I'm intelligent enough to remember two symbols and then find the matching symbol on a normal looking door and then enter the door and then begin the stupid mission that I accepted out of duty towards my dead family.

I bowed and then left in search of my classroom and knocked on the door.

'Are you the transfer student?' the teacher asked.

'Yes'

You people ask the same question too much...

'C'mon in!'

'We have a new transfer student today!' the teacher said to the class as I walked in and stood in the front of the normal little room filled with normal looking people and normal looking desks.

It was very _normal_ and that I appreciated.

Then I suddenly heard footsteps and turned towards the door.

'I'm sorry I'm late!' the door opened to reveal Sawada Tsunayoshi in all his fluffy, brown haired glory.

'No-good Tsuna is late again!'

'As expected! He's never on time!'

Bullying?

That's unexpected...

The teacher frowned and said 'Go to your seat, Sawada.'

' Y-yes' stammered Tsuna, looking relieved the teacher let him off.

Poor kid.

Bullying, tardiness, and even a teacher who disliked him.

I was starting to feel sorry for this guy but that doesn't change the fact that I'm only here because I was ordered to and that I was gonna ditch him the moment my mission is over.

The teacher coughed and said,

'Class, this is the new transfer student. She came from overseas. Make her feel welcome. Would you like to introduce yourself?'

I nodded and started my introduction.

I really didn't care about first impressions so I just put on my usual bland expression of complete and utter boredom and said,

'Hello, my name is Kurogane, Mei. I like ordinary things, electronics, cute animals, and chocolate. I dislike it when people get into my personal space.'

That was true. Huge crowds of mafioso invade my private space and they scare the crap outta me.

I also wasn't really talkative so I prefer people leaving me alone.

Not that I minded if it was a close friend, but then again, I've never had one so I really wouldn't know about petty stuff like that.

'Ok, there are some empty seats in the room. Take your pick and you may sit there' the teacher said.

I walked down the aisle and took my seat.

I chose somewhere in the back so I could observe Tsuna without him noticing.

I heard murmurs and whenever I looked at someone, they would quickly turn away.

Was I that interesting?

Sure, I was a transfer student and silver eyes weren't that common but c'mon, I'm human aren't I?

Then again, who knows what living with mafioso for a year can do to someone.

* * *

><p>Class was easy.<p>

It was so easy that I got bored to tears and started staring at empty space with my eyes glazed looking dead to the world and totally not paying attention.

Suddenly the teacher said ' Kurogane-san, can you answer #7?'

I stood up and said '7.38' in my politest voice because I didn't feel like getting on the teacher's bad side.

The teacher looked surprised I answered so fast.

Hey, I had to work with a computer genius for nearly 365 days.

Normal math is _nothing c_ompared to what she put me through.

I was practically a human calculator!

'You may sit down now.'

I quickly sat down and stopped staring into space and observed Tsunayoshi instead because I can and I will and I'm supposed to.

He seemed to be asleep until the teacher called on him.

'Sawada, solve #12.'

Now, he was fully awake and he looked nervous and scared like a frightened little bunny.

'Ummmm...57?' He guessed.

'Wrong! How on earth did you get that? The answer is 43!'

He then reddened and quickly sat down.

There were snickers and jeers.

'No-Good Tsuna failed again!'

'Yeah, he never gets anything right!'

My eyes narrowed.

The way other the students teased him was despicable not to mention incredibly rude.

Anyone can miss a question once in a while and just because someone isn't good at anything, it doesn't mean you can treat him differently.

But something about him reminded me of...me.

Just as I was all alone in those years of my life after I ran away from the orphanage, he was in a similar situation.

His classmates bullied him and disrespected him in a way that suggested this happened on daily basis and the fact that the entire class and maybe even the entire_ school _was in on it meant that this probably started a couple years ago.

For the entire class, I didn't notice him interacting with anyone and this led me to the conclusion that he had no friends either.

It wasn't as bad as losing your entire family but it was similar enough.

This was when I thought that _, _maybe, just _maybe_, I could become true friends with this guy.

* * *

><p>At lunch, I heard people talking about me while I ate in a tree.(I like sitting in trees. It's quiet and peaceful)<p>

'Did you see her? She looked like a ghost!'

'No, more like a beautiful vampire!'

'I know right!She doesn't seem human at _all!_'

Little did they know that said person was right above them.

They thought I was a ghost? A VAMPIRE?

The last one was what bugged me most but whatever.

I quickly left my tree. I should probably clear this up before they start telling everyone else. As I walked past the group, they fell silent and stared at me. I glanced at them and they quickly looked away.

Soon, I entered the hallway and got the same reaction. Seriously people?

I walked back to homeroom and heard rather loud converstations.

'She is TOTALLY ghostly!'

'We should tell the supernatural fanclub!'

'Yeah! She might be the real deal!'

My eyebrow twitched.

_Are you kidding me?_

What was _wrong_ with these people?

I wasn't supernatural/ghostly/vampire-y in any way!

I was just PALE.

Black hair is totally normal in Japan right?

Silver eyes aren't that strange either!

I opened the door and everyone fell silent and staaaaaaared.

I gave them my best glare and they turned away quickly and resumed conversations.

School was gonna be just _great._

* * *

><p>In P.E., we played basketball.<p>

'Tsuna, pass!' yelled a dude on his team.

He threw the ball but Tsuna missed it and it hit his nose _hard._

The coach blew the whistle and said 'GAME OVER!'

Tsuna's team groaned and said,

'Not again!'

'The team with No-Good Tsuna always loses!'

'Yeah, it's all his fault!'

Hello? He's _bleeding_ and you're just gonna stand there and insult him? Wow, aren't you the nicest friends.

It didn't seem like anyone was gonna help him so I said,

'Coach, I'll take him to the nurse.'

'Go ahead. You two are excused for the rest of the class.'

I turned to Tsunayoshi and said,'C'mon.' as I grabbed his arm and headed to the nurse's office because his tiny brain didn't seem to be able to do such a simple task.

'T-Thanks' he stammered.

We were now walking through the hallways and I had nothing better to do so I thought I'd talk to him to relieve myself of an annoying emotion called boredom.

'What's your name?' I asked, pretending not to know.

It would be pretty creepy if you run into someone who seems to know stuff about you when it was the first time you ever talked with them.

Besides, an introduction can't hurt, right?

'S-S-Sawada ,Tsunayoshi b-but most people just call me Tsuna.'

Can this guy ever talk without stuttering?

I nodded and said,

'Then you can call me Mei.'

Looks like we were on first name basis.

Pretty good, considering this is the first time I've ever tried to make friends.

We had reached the nurse's office but no one was there.

I mentally sighed and realized I had to patch him up.

'Sit down.' I said as I started fixing up his nose. I didn't learn first aid for nothing you know?

Minutes later, his nose stopped bleeding and he was all good.

'P.E. is over by now. We have to go to homeroom.' I said.

I wondered of I should use a friendlier voice. After all, Alicia always said my normal voice sounded cold and emotionless.

I toyed with the thought and then decided, Nah...I'd just sound weird if I tried that. My acting skills weren't exactly what most people would call _good_.

As we entered the classroom, I decided that Tsuna wasn't such a bad person after all.

My mission might not be as horrid as I thought.

* * *

><p>I woke up with a throbbing headache the next morning.<p>

However, it wasn't only a small problem so I figured it would be alright to go to school and come back in one piece.

Boy was I wrong.

On my way to school, I witnessed Tsuna running faster than a bullet in his boxers and confess.

'PLEASE GO OUT WITH ME!' roared Tsuna.

Kyoko screamed and ran away while another guy with black hair hit him. I think his name was Mochida.

'YOU PERTVERT' he yelled. Then he went ran off. Probably to chase Kyoko.

Tsuna then lost his sudden enthusiasm and started talking to a baby in a suit.

Wait a sec. The only person that can possibly be is…Reborn.

Looks like my time has finally arrived. However, since I'm not _that_ involved yet, I'll do my best to keep it that way and I decided to walk off like an innocent bystander…only to find myself face to face with the feared Hibari Kyouya from the Discipline Committee.

'What are you doing here? Classes have started.'

'Ummm…I was delayed by unforeseen circumstances. I'll go to class straight away'

That was technically true.

Me watching Tsuna act like he was high on sugar in his boxers while he confessed his feelings were definitely unforeseen circumstances.

As I was saying this, I slowly edged away, and then proceeded to sprint into the building as fast as possible to avoid being bitten to death.

And to think all this stuff happened before classes even started.

* * *

><p>In the class room, nearly all the students were making fun of Tsuna for what he did earlier.<p>

'Hey Tsuna, Mochida-senpai says he wants to fight you during afternoon break in the gym!' A random student informed him.

'Ehhhh!' Tsuna exclaimed.

Near him, Kyoko and her group of friends were talking about how Mochida was going to avenge her for the insult she received.

Overreaction much?

All he did was confess in his boxers.

It wasn't like he slapped her or something but whatever.

Just because I was supposed to guard him, I didn't have to help him with every little problem.

That's Reborn's job.

This afternoon was going to be real interesting.

_~Afternoon~_

There was a huge crowd in the gym to watch the oncoming battle. Even Hibari came, but he was probably just making sure no one breaks any rules.

I watched in my little corner as Mochida assumed that he wins by default and starts laughing like a deranged maniac.

Suddenly, Tsuna opened the door and everyone was pretty shocked.

He was shaking in his pants but he still came.

You have to give him some credit for his guts and bravery to actually show up for a battle that he was nearly 99% sure to lose.

Mochida started spewing random crap and then said that Kyoko was the prize. Now _that's_ just rude. Kyoko is a human being too. You have no right to talk about her like she was some kind of trophy.

Secretly, I hoped that Tsuna would win just to make that stupid jerk eat his words.

My hope was dying rapidly as I watched him run away from Mochida. Wasn't Reborn supposed to be some super tutor who was going to turn him into the Tenth? Where the heck is he when his student needs help?

Suddenly, just as Mochida was going to strike the finishing blow, Kyoko yelled 'Sawada-Kun, do your best!' Which caused Mochida to freeze and stare as if it was the end of the world.

I swear I saw something whiz by in a blur.

'REBORN!' Tsuna yelled. 'I'LL GET A POINT NO MATTER WHAT!'

Then he proceeded to deflect Mochida's attack and…rip his hair out. In his boxers. Harsh. But he deserves it.

The judge finally raised the flag and everyone went and congratulated him on his unexpected victory.

By now I was absolutely sure what happened. That tutor of his used the special dying will bullet. I was informed about this by Alicia. It was Vongola's secret weapon as well as their signature weapon, I think. Only close allies and higher ups know about it.

As awesome as the 5 minute burst of power it granted was, did it have to make the user strip? Watching a dude in his boxers rip someone's hair out until he's completely bald is _slightly_ disturbing.

Since the action was over, I left the gym went down the hall.

Suddenly a squeaky voice said ' You're Mei Kurogane aren't you?'

He sounded more like he was stating a fact rather than asking a question.

'Yes.'

'You're part of the Segreto organization aren't you?'

'Yeeeeees.' This conversation is headed in a bad direction.

'Since you know who Tsuna is, would you like to join his family?'

Crap. He asked me the one thing I don't have an answer for. My trainers told me that I could join his family but I _reaaally _didn't want to.

If I joined, it would make protecting him easier but wouldn't he have a family of his own in the future? I just stick around until then and when he's strong enough, I just watch from the sidelines right? Plus, I didn't want to get any deeper into the mafia...

'I apologize but I'll have to turn down your offer for now.'

For now.

If things get bad, I'll _have_ to join his family.

I swear I saw his eyes gleam evilly.

'For now? Does that mean you'll reconsider?'

Yeahhhhhh.

I would've said a straight out NO if it weren't for my mission that you probably know about. Taking advantage of it is _not_ fair at _all_.

'I'm sure I'll find a way to make you reconsider. After all, I'm the world's strongest hitman.' He left with those ominous words hanging in the air.

Craaaaaaap.

Something tells me I should get ready for anything because I just made myself number one on the world's strongest hitman's hit list.

And with all the commotion, I totally forgot about my headache.

* * *

><p>The next day we had a new transfer student who was none other than Gokudera Hayato aka Smokin' Bomb Hayato, a rather strong hitman who used dynamite hidden all over his body.<p>

Reborn probably called him over to join Tsuna's family or something.

However, there was always a slight chance that he might actually be here to kill him so I should keep an eye on him just in case…

'SLAM!'

Gokudera suddenly knocked Tsuna's desk over and glared at him.

Chances of being sent to kill Tsuna, now 60%

Then he proceeded to shoot death glares at him for the entire class.

Chances of being sent to kill Tsuna, now 80%

By now I was pretty sure he wasn't gonna be Tsuna's ally and it was my job to protect Tsuna from assassins so this is my first opponent.

I'll wait for him to make the first move since the chances of him being under orders to kill Tsuna wasn't 100% yet.

In the meantime, I'll just stay on guard and observe like the good little girl and supposed to be.

_~After Class Ended~_

I glanced over at Tsuna surrounded by a group of boys talking about volleyball.

He seemed uneasy but then again, he always seemed uneasy.

I looked over at Gokudera. He was quietly observing Tsuna but he didn't make any move to harm him.

Looks like he's safe. For now.

I had other problems. I needed to find a weapon I'm familiar with just in case I have an all-out brawl with Gokudera.

My chances of winning against him weren't exactly high, but without a half-decent weapon, I was practically 100% sure I would wind up with some sort of fatal injury.

As I left the class room to hunt for a weapon, I smelled…coffee? Why the heck would the middle of a hallway smell like coffee? I sniffed around to find the source and came across a fire extinguisher and put two and two together.

Tiny Hitman + Love of Coffee+ Good Sized Fire Extinguisher= Reborn in a Secret Hideout Drinking Coffee.

'Ciao, Mei.' Reborn greeted.

'Hello, Reborn' I replied. ' I'm assuming you know about a certain dynamite wielding hitman in the school, right?'

'Don't worry about Gokudera. I called him over to make him Tsuna's family member. He's not a threat to be eliminated.'

I raised my eyebrow.

Family member? Gokudera acted like he would rather die than become Tsuna's family member. Then again, Reborn was Reborn so he probably knows what he's doing.

I hope.

Oh screw it all I don't care...

'Come to the back of the school in a little while. You'll be able to watch an interesting battle.'

'Sure'

Hmmmm…Reborn was probably planning to use Gokudera to test Tsuna's abilities, improve his skills, or something like that…

Well, since I confirmed that Gokudera was called over by none other than Reborn, I don't have to worry about him anymore.

But that's not gonna stop me from finding a suitable weapon because you never know when a life-threatening situation will arise and you're unarmed, and injured, and helpless and you hate the world for making you forget your weapon.

I thought back to Luke's teachings.

Random items lying around that could be uses as a decent weapon included scissors, books, metal pens, sharp pencils, needles…wait, needles?

Yes! They're the perfect weapon for school! I could hide them just about anywhere and use it to attack and defend.

They're like tiny mini daggers that can be used to conduct medieval torture with (I know from unwanted information that Matt informed me of).

Now where were they again? The art room I think…

I looked through the sewing supplies and found the longest needles and grabbed a few of them.

Now I just have to make it back to the classroom without being caught.

'What are you doing here? Art class was over 1 hour ago.'

HOLY CRAP.

'Umm…hey, Hibari-san. I forgot something and I came back to pick it up.'

I had heard rumors about this guy and once, I had witnessed him fight and I was scarred for life.

I repeat, SCARRED. FOR. LIFE.

'No students are allowed in classrooms after class. For breaking the school rules, I'll bite you to death.'

With that, he came at me.

Tonfa Wielding Battle Maniac vs. Inexperienced Girl With Needles.

I did some quick calculations in my head.

I know the way Hibari fights and he's FRICKIN' STRONG. My chances of winning were close to nothing. However, my chances of escaping were a totally different matter.

'I'm sorry! I'll never do this again!' I called. Then I proceeded to jump out the window and land on a tree.

I looked back up and Hibari wasn't following. Yessss. Escape plan SUCCESS.

I checked the clock. Only ten minutes passed.

That counts as a little while right? I headed towards the back of the school. The battle should still be ongoing.

* * *

><p>As I rounded a corner, I heard explosions and screams and came across Tsuna running away from dynamite while screaming his lungs out and looking like a pathetic wimp who hated his life.<p>

I looked around and spotted Reborn next to a tree.

'Is he gonna be alright? He looks like he needs help.'

Yes, he really does. Those explosions looked painful...

'Don't worry, he'll be fine.'

It certainly didn't seem that way. Gokudera finally had him cornered and was about to strike the finishing blow.

I looked over at Reborn. He was pulling his gun out.

'Fight with a Dying Will'

Then he shot.

Suddenly, Tsuna yelled, 'REBORN! PUT OUT THE FUSES WITH MY DYING WILL!' and he was in his boxers, yet again.

'DEFUSE! DEFUSE! DEFUSE! DEFUSE!' He actually managed to put out all the dynamite with his bare hands.

'What? DOUBLE BOMB!'

'DEFUSE! DEFUSE! DEFUSE! DEFUSE!' Tsuna put them out yet again.

Gokudera looked like he was losing his cool

'TRIPLE BOMB.'

Suddenly, one of the lit dynamites slipped from his grasp.

Bad move, dynamite freak, you just delivered your own death sentence...

'This is the end of me…' he muttered.

'DEFUSE! DEFUSE! DEFUSE! DEFUSE!'

'Whew, I somehow made it.'

I just stared. I had a newfound respect for Tsuna, seeing as he not only put out countless amounts of dynamite, but he also saved Gokudera's life.

'I was mistaken! You're the one who's fit to be boss! Tenth gen, I'll follow you! Command me to do anything!'

'Wah?'

'Having the loser serve under the winner is a family rule.' said Reborn.

'EH?'

Then Gokudera started ranting about his why he did this and insisted that he served him.

I thought I should make my presence known right about now.

'Great battle, Tsuna.'

'How long have you been there?'

'Through the whole battle.'

'Tenth! Do you know her?'

'Umm…sorta?'

'As expected of the Tenth! Recruiting a different species such as vampires!'

'Huh?' Tsuna and I chorused.

'I had been observing this UMA from the moment I entered school! I will do my best to gather information for you!'

I stared at Gokudera in disbelief. He thought I was a UMA? A VAMPIRE?

While I had regained my composure on the outside, in my head, a little chibi me was running around in circles screaming WHY?WHY?WHY? Was he subjected to the evil rumors of the school already?

* * *

><p><strong><em>Gokudera's View<em>**

_Today I transferred into the school of Vongola's tenth candidate. He was PATHITIC. Just looking at him pissed me off!_

_A suspicious person sat a couple seats away from me._

_Her skin was way paler than normal, her eyes glinted unnaturally, her black hair and long bangs gave her a dark aura and she was practically my mental image of a vampire. During lunch break she vanished and I heard a group in class muttering things like_

_'The ghost girl vanished again…'_

_'Yeah, I never see her eat or drink.'_

_'How the heck does she leave the room without us noticing?'_

_'I must find out more about her for the vampire fanclub…'_

_OHMYGOSH! THAT IS TOTALLY VAMPIRE BEHAVIOUR! I BET SHE LEAVES TO SUCK BLOOD OR SOMETHING!_

_I should have known! She had 'UMA' written all over her from the moment I saw her!_

_But killing the Tenth candidate is first priority._

_I'll observe (stalk) her after I'm done with that…_

_~ After Battle~_

_I was wrong! The Tenth is amazing!_

_He not only defeated me and saved my life, but he also communicated with a UMA!_

_As expected! I must gather more information! And there was vampire fanclub, right? I must join!_

* * *

><p><strong>Did you like it? Dislike it?<strong>

****I went a bit overboard with the vampire thing but I find it hilarious!****

**Person in the last chapter was Reborn!**

**Please Review!**

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	4. While I Fiend Off Scorpions and Math

**I decided to make the story mostly based on the anime but with some events added in. (Like Longchamp and Yamamoto suicide attempt)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>When I reached my apartment and opened the door, I had to duck as my head was nearly taken off by a…cake?<p>

I glanced at the cake and realized it was melting the floor and that could only mean po ison cooking.

There was only one person who uses cooking as weapons and sure enough, Poison Scorpion Bianchi was in my room holding another plate of…_something_ that was emitting purple smoke and Reborn was on the ceiling looking amused.

'Hold on, Poison Scorpion! I'm not an enemy! I'm-'

I was cut off as another plate of poison came flying.

'Reborn, call her off!'

Reborn's eyes gleamed and he had a smirk on him face.

Oh hell no.

_This_ was his way of getting me to join? Tricking allies into thinking I'm the enemy? You are _evil_.

'Eat this! Poison Cooking, Melting Sakura Mochi!'

I ran out of the room as deadly bullets of acid came at me.

'Bianchi! Why are you attacking me?' I called as I jumped out the window (7th floor by the way. Good thing I had training.)

'I was informed you're a threat to the Vongola Family! I will defeat you!' She yelled as she followed me out the window.

Now we were on the streets and I was running away as fast as I can while dodging poison cooking and pulling out the needles I got earlier.

I _really_ didn't want to fight the half-sister of Smokin' Bomb Hayato right now but she was dead set on killing me so I really didn't have a choice.

I spun around and knocked down her poison cooking and yelled,

'I'm an ally of the Vongola Family! We don't need to fight!'

'They all say that! Poison Cooking, Skewer Pasta!'

I blocked her attack yet again and rounded a corner, hoping to hide for a little while.

Reborn came out of no where and said,

'If you join our family, I can call her off you know.'

HECK NO.

I'm not gonna give up that easily! My future is on the line! (It really is. If I join, who knows what Reborn'll make me do?)

Alright, now think, what do I know about Bianchi? On her profile it said she liked Reborn but Reborn was the one who set this up so he's out.

She was into romance and drama and her half-brother was Gokudera…THAT DOESN'T HELP.

What could I do? Talk her out of it? There's no way I can defeat her, that's for sure.

Wait…How come she didn't notice Reborn back in my apartment? Don't tell me…

'Bianchi, who gave you that information?'

She suddenly paused for a moment and stopped throwing acid cakes. (I know. ACID CAKES. They melt anything they touch and it's a miracle I dodged them all. I've never been so glad for my training. Luke, thank you for existing.)

'It could have been the enemy trying to fool you! Did you recognize them at all?'

Her eyes widened and she gasped a little.

My plan just might work.

If I could get her to think the information was false, maybe I could convince her to stop trying to kill me.

'You're right! I was tricked into attacking an ally! I'm so sorry!'

I stared at her, dumbfounded.

_That's all it took?_

* * *

><p>Well, now that she's stopped trying to kill me, I might as well find out what was going on.<p>

'So why is an assassin like yourself at Japan?' I asked. Please tell me it's not to assassinate Tsuna…fighting you once was hard enough. I wouldn't survive another round.

'Well, I heard Reborn was here to tutor Vongola Tenth so I came to take him back.'

She was here to take the sadistic-baby-sent- from- hell back? YES! I'm definitely on your side!

'Really? Well, you're at the right place. Reborn and Tsunayoshi are both in this town.'

'Thank you for your assistance. What's your name?'

'Kurogane, Mei.'

She stared at me in shock and said,

'From the Segreto organization?'

'That's the one.'

Was it that big a deal?

'I'm so sorry for attacking such an important ally! How should I make it up to you?'

I sweatdropped and said,

'You don't have to. You were tricked so it's understandable.'

Yeah, by none other than Reborn. The sly little demon…

She nodded and said,

'Well, it was a pleasure meeting you, but I have a mission to complete. If you ever need help, here's my number.'

Wow.

I just made friends with the Poison Scorpion.

It wasn't as hard as I thought but more importantly,

'Are you trying to kill me?' I asked.

Reborn smirked _again_ and said,

'It was to evaluate your skills. Good job surviving. You'd make a fine addition to Tsuna's family.'

I glared at him.

'I said no.'

'For now. Don't worry, I'll make sure you join, _no matter what_. Ciao!'

And then he vanished.

Why me?

* * *

><p><em><strong>~Afterschool at Tsuna's House~<strong>_

_'Long time no see Reborn! It's me, Lambo!' Lambo cried._

_'He came in! Reborn, do you know him?' Tsuna exclaimed._

_'Remember this formula.' Reborn says calmly while ignoring the stupid cow._

_'Hey! Don't ignore me! I'll kill you!' Lambo yelled while attempting to attack Reborn. Epic fail._

_Reborn slammed him into the wall and Lambo got up to start his teary introduction._

_Now, both Reborn and Tsuna(tried to) ignore him and concentrate on math._

_Lambo starts getting upset and throws a grenade only to have Reborn hit it back at him and send him out the window with a bang._

**_~Back to Mei~ _**

I sighed and made my way back to my apartment. Good thing the fight took place outside or else my room would be totally trashed…

Let's see, so far I've encountered a Tonfa Wielding Battle Maniac, Smokin' Bomb Hayato, and Posion Scorpion Bianchi.

I _really_ needed some real weapons and I needed them _fast_.

That left me with one option.

Contact my tutors for help. They _did_ say that they would contact me when they needed me so I can do the same to them, right?

I turned on my laptop and started my plea for help.

_Dear Tutors,_

_So far, I've encountered a bloodthirsty perfect, a dynamite freak, and a poisonous woman._

_I need familiar weapons fast._

_Oh, and please make sure I can take them to school without getting in trouble._

_The school perfect is a demon and I've already escaped from him once so he might be out to get me._

_Sincerely__,_

_Your student who is suffering_

I sent sent my email and then relaxed with a bar of chocolate.

The day was absolutely hectic and my headache from earlier had gotten way worse.

I wonder what tomorrow holds.

* * *

><p>The next morning, I woke up with a high fever and couldn't go to school.<p>

Oh well, too bad, I thought.

Gokudera was pretty strong and could probably protect Tsuna for one day.

I took some medicine, made some hot chocolate(Chocolate's awesome. Whoever invented it is a genius), and decided to spoil myself just this once.

After all, even assassins need breaks, right?

**_~Morning with Tsuna~_**

_'It's so hot and I'm so thirstly...' Tsuna muttered_

_'Ring!Ring' girl with pink hair comes by on a bike. The girl stops and takes off her helmet to reveal that she's Bianchi. _

_Too bad Tsuna doesn't know._

_'Here, have it if you like.' She says as she throws him a soda._

_Tsuna attempts to catch it but due to his clumsiness, he fails and then it spills. Lucky him._

_'Aww it spilled.' said Tsuna disappointingly._

_Suddenly, the spilled soda emitted purple smoke and a nearby crow died._

_'WHAT IS THIS?' Tsuna exclaimed._

**_~Back to Mei~ _**

I was reading a book when the doorbell rang.

When I opened the door, there was a bulky package and a letter on my doorstep.

I quickly took it and went back inside to open the package.

It contained black, fingerless gloves, a necklace with a large, fancy cross, and a pen.

Were these supposed to be my weapons? A _pen_?

I had a feeling the letter would explain so I opened it up.

It said,

_Dear Student who is suffering,_

_How's Japan?_

_I received your email and sent over some weapons in the package!_

Already? That was fast...but what can I do with gloves, a necklace, and a pen?

_You said you needed weapons that are easily concealable and can be used at school so I got you these!_

_The gloves are made of special material that can withstand bullets and they should be allowed with the school uniform right?_

_I thought you could use them for close combat since you were getting pretty good._

_If not, sucks to be you. _Why, thank you for caring so much.

_The silver cross on the necklace is magnetic and detachable._

_You see the pale moonstone on the cross? If you push it hard enough, a long blade should come out. _

I tried and sure enough, seconds later, I was holding a 15 inch long silver blade. Sweet.

_As for the pen, flip it open like a cell phone. There's a 5 inch blade hidden inside._

_What's even better is that when your not using it to kill people, you can use it as an ordinary pen with everlasting dark ink!_

...The part about the dark ink better not mean what I think it means.

_Hope you like these!_

_From, _

_Luke_

Wow, I'm impressed.

I never thought he could get his hands on such awesome weapons and send them over in one day.

Too bad I'm sick.

If I wasn't, I'd start training with these.

I put my new weapons somewhere safe since at the moment, I could barely walk.

I wonder how Tsuna's doing? I hope he's alright 'cuz if he's dead, I would've failed my very first mission.

He should be fine since Reborn and Gokudera are with him I mused.

Now that I thought about it, why did I have to protect him when Reborn was around?

Wasn't he an Arcobaleno?

Ah, the mysteries of the universe...

_**~Meanwhile at School~**_

_'Yamamoto is about to jump off the roof!'_

_'Yamamoto from our class?'_

_'Him? That's impossible!'_

_'There are good and bad pranks y' know.'_

_'When he stayed after school practicing yesterday, he went too far and broke his arm!'_

_'Anyways,to the roof!'_

**_~Back to Mei~_**

I sighed.

It was such a peaceful morning.

No gunshots, explosions, screams of pain, metal clashing against metal, ect.

I knew from experience this wasn't gonna last. Sure enough, my cell phone rang and I checked the caller ID.

My eyes widened.

It was Dino! Wonder what he wants.

'Hello.' I replied

'Hey Mei! I'm coming to Japan in a few weeks!'

'Really? What for?'

'To meet the Tenth Candidate'

'Great. I'm usually around him so I'll be there when you come.'

Yeah, I'm _usually_ around him. Not when I'm half-dead due to an extremely high fever, though.

'I can't wait to see you again! Romario's coming so I gotta go. Bye!'

He hung up and I closed my cell phone.

Dino, huh?

He seemed like a pretty nice guy when I met him at the party, but I hardly knew anything about him other than the fact that he was the Cavallone Family's boss.

I should gather information about him when he comes.

**_~At Lunch on Rooftop~_**

_Tsuna opens his bento and three _crows_ nearby died, **again**._

_Gokudera gasped,'T-This is-'_

_'It's best if you don't eat that.' Reborn said. 'You'll go straight to heaven with one bite. Come on out, Bianchi.'_

_The door opened to reveal Bianchi doing a cool pose._

_'Ah! The girl from this morning!' Tsuna exclaimed._

_'S-sister.' Gokudera muttered while clutching his stomach._

_'Sister?' Tsuna exclaimed._

**_~Back to Mei~_**

I decided that since I couldn't train, I might as well do some research.

I put my laptop on my bed and went to our family network that Alicia told me about.

Now then...who should I research about?

Gokudera was unnecessary since he was part of Tsuna's family, I already know alot about Reborn(Everyone does. He's _that _famous), Bianchi was here to get Reborn back and she was part of the Vongola Family so she's not a threat...Who else was there?

I somehow recall another deadly person in this town...oh yeah, Hibari!

I typed up his name and a lonnnng article popped up.

There was all the basic information such as his age, height, weight, birthday, ect., but what came after that was _disturbing_ to say the least.

It seems like he's been exceedingly strong and ruthless even when he was young and he had total control over just about everything in Namimori.

Those who disobeyed him, well, there were a couple less-than-pleasant pictures of his victims and most of them weren't even recognizable as human beings.

He was the leader of a group of violent delinquents and ironically, he enforces the school rules with passion. (Seriously, isn't giving people broken bones against the school rules?)

He prefers to be alone and cares little about his subordinates and even beats _them_ up when he's annoyed.(That's just _wrong_. How heartless _is_ this guy?)

Hibari is a very scary character with no care in the well beings of others, preferring to do whatever it takes to get what he wants.(Scary? I agree)

He is very bloodthirsty and seems to like to fight strong opponents and hunts them down at times.

Overall, he is an extraordinarily dangerous individual not to be messed with on pain of death.

Strangely, the was no information about his parents or family.

Then again, I sort of saw that coming due to his personality and all.(I can't imagine Hibari being _nice_)

...reading this article just made my fear of Hibari increase by a tenfold.

He better not be out to get me cause if he is, I'm _sooo_ screwed.

The pictures of his victims didn't help.

I now had a new goal in school.

_Avoid Hibari Kyoya at all costs_.

Seriously, it was pure luck that I escaped away last time.

Can't wait for my little break to be over I thought grimly.

* * *

><p>'Gokudera Hayato, Kurogane Mei, you both scored 100 on the math test.' announced the teacher. There were 'woahs!' from the class as we made our way back to our seats.<p>

Hn. Of course I was good at math.

Alicia had practically turned me into a human calculator during training last year. Didn't I already mention that? Who cares...

'Sawada Tsunayoshi, Yamamoto Takeshi, 20 points. You two will be getting extra homework for failing the test.'

'Well, that's not surprising.' muttered a girl nearby. I think her name was Kurokawa.

'You're work needs to be submitted tomorrow. You need to get all the questions right, or else…'

I mentally chuckled. There was no way that was happening. The bell rang and class was dismissed.

Surprisingly, Tsuna came up to me and said, 'Umm…Mei-san, can you come over and help me later?'

I blinked in surprise and then said, 'Sure.'

As I packed my bags and left, I wondered why he was suddenly so friendly to me.

_**~10 minutes later~**_

'Dingdong!'

I rang the doorbell at the Sawada residence.

The door opened and the woman I supposed was Tsuna's mom appeared.

'Oh, you must be one of Tsuna's friends! Come on in!'

I bowed and entered.

'Ah, Mei-san! You're already here?' Tsuna cried.

'Am I early? I can leave if you want me to.'

Sigh, I am sooo unwelcome...

'No, that's not it! I'm just shocked you arrived so fast! Let's go to my room!'

He led me upstairs and into his little room.

'Ciaossu.'

I inwardly groaned.

Not _him_ again.

If I had known that Reborn and Tsuna lived in the same house, I wouldn't have come in the first place.

'Gokudera and Yamamoto should show up soon.'

Them as well? **This was a bad idea**…

'So what do you need help with?'

I need to get it over with. NOW.

'Umm…all of it.'

I sighed. So much for that plan.

'Well, I should probably teach you the formula…Okay, first you have to…'

After a few minutes the door opened to reveal Gokudera and Yamamoto

Tsuna looked up and said, 'Welcome.'

Yamamoto laughed and said, 'So this is your room! Oh, hey there Kurogane-chan! Did you come to study as well?'

'Tsuna asked.' I replied dully.

What? I'm not an enthusiastic person, okay?

Yamamoto was alright. He was friendly, not in the mafia, and isn't an assassin.

As for the other one…

'You! Vampire! What are you doing here?' yelled Gokudera.

The troublesome one just had to come…and since when were Tsuna and Yamamoto friends anyways?

I must've missed out on something_ big_ when I was sick.

'Calm down, I called her here to help.' Reborn said.

I raised an eyebrow.

'You did?' I asked.

He just smirked at me and had a look in his eyes that said 'Play along** or else**…'

'Well, if Reborn-san called her then I'm alright with it…'

They settled down and started working.

'This is really helping. You two are really smart, Mei-san, Gokudera-kun.' Tsuna said after a while.

'Surprisingly.' Yamamoto said.

'Shut up!' yelled Gokudera.

'If it's to train the 10th to become a great mafia boss, I , Gokudera Hayato will do anything!' he proclaimed.

That guy is like a loyal puppy.

'You're too loud.' Tsuna said exasperatedly.

'Good work, Tsuna.' I say quietly.

He blushed.

'T-thanks. It was all because of you.' He stammered.

I smiled a little at that. He was a nice kid once you get to know him.

'Well, if you're getting the hang of it, I should probably go now.'

So I can escape the horror that is the gang of ultimate misfortune and do my job while I'm at it...

'Eh? Already?'

'Come on! The more the merrier! No need to be shy!' Yamamoto cheerfully called out.

'If you insist…'

I swear I could feel some one watching us from outside.

I _really_ needed to go investigate since it was my duty to protect Tsuna.

Meanwhile, Yamamoto was getting the hang of it real fast. Looks like he could get good grades when he wanted to.

'Wow.' said Tsuna.

'Haha! Once I read the textbook, I found out it was pretty easy.'

Gokudera glared and checked over his paper.

'I-it's right.' He grumbled.

'I didn't get number seven though!' He cheerfully added.

'Hahaha! You're still an idiot Yamamoto! Right 10th?'

I sweatdropped.

This guy was waaaay too competitive.

'I still don't get half of it…' He muttered.

'10th! You can show your power by solving number seven!'

He handed Tsuna the paper and Tsuna read out loud,

'If you had a stack of 100 sheets of 11.5cm2 that are dropped together at the height of 3 meters, prove that when they fall to the ground, the stack won't fall apart.'

'…I don't get this at all!' He exclaimed.

'10th!' Gokudera wailed.

'Here's some food!' A new voice called.

I looked at the door. There was a weird brown haired girl wearing a messed up mask holding a tray with some food and drinks.

'Huh? Why are you here?' Tsuna hollered.

I glanced at Tsuna. He knew her?

Wait a sec… the presence I felt earlier vanished meaning she was the one spying on us outside.

Well, seems like I don't have to worry about assassins anymore.

'I'm making sure that there are no bad influences on Reborn-chan!' declared the unknown person.

'Was it necessary to dress up like that?' Tsuna muttered to himself.

As the unknown person set up the table, Gokudera was glaring at her and Yamamoto said,

'Tsuna, I didn't know you knew someone from Midori Middle school.'

'Huh? Isn't Midori that super-hard-to-get-into, prestigious girl's school?'

'That's their uniform, right?'

'Yes.' answered the odd girl.

Really? Appearances can be _so_ deceiving.

'She could probably solve this problem then!' Yamamoto exclaimed.

'I understand. Then, if I solve the problem, you will never get involved with Reborn ever again.'

'But that's for Reborn to decide.' Tsuna protested.

'Heh. Sounds interesting! If you think you can do it, go ahead!' growled Gokudera.

'G-Gokudera-kun-.'

'I have seen this problem before.' declared the girl.

What was her name, anyways?

We sat in silence for a long time but she still didn't solve it.

'Just a little longer.' She says.

If you don't get it, just do us all a favor and admit it. No need to be so stubborn…

Reborn started polishing his gun and everyone else just stared at her.

'Almost there…'

Reborn starts playing with Leon.

'I can see it!'

Reborn starts doing magic tricks and Tsuna just sweatdrops.

_**~Hours Later~**_

'I'm sorry! I couldn't do it!'

'What was that 'I can do it' you lying girl!' yelled Gokudera as he stood up.

'I never said I can solve it! I said I could see it! And now you're calling me a liar!' She wailed.

'You shouldn't make her cry.' Yamamoto chided.

'That's right Gokudera-kun.' said Tsuna.

I went over and patted her on the back. At least she tried, right?

'True mafia always treats women with respect.' Reborn added.

LIKE YOU'RE ONE TO TALK.

Gokudera looked ashamed and then apologized.

'Um…my bad.'

Suddenly the curtain opens and a little boy dressed as a cow appeared.

Wasn't that Lambo from the Bovino Family? What was he doing here?

Oh well, he's not a threat so I really don't care…

'I'm Lambo~ Who am I? You're Lambo~ I'm Lambo~ '

That song made absolutely no sense whatsoever.

As Lambo turns around, he pales as he sees Gokudera emitting his** '_I'm dead pissed!_'** aura.

'Um… I was just passing by…' murmurs Lambo as he walks past him. Then he sees the cookies and jumped on to the table and started stuffing his face.

'When I eat cookies, I get hyper!After I get hyper I get sleepy!' He says in between bites.

Gokudera looked like he was about to explode. (Haha! Get it? Dynamite? Explode?...I suck at jokes.)

Just as Gokudera was about to snap, the girl went,

'We meet again! I'm so happy!' she cried.

'I don't get it…' Gokudera muttered as he scratched his head.

After getting Lambo to fall asleep, the girl said,

'Since it's a middle school question, and adult should be able to figure it out!'

'But it can't just be anyone.' said Tsuna.

'I have someone in mind! I met her in the kitchen earlier! Her names Bianchi!'

'Bianchi?' Tsuna exclaimed.

'Sister?' cried Gokudera.

Bianchi? As in, Poison Scropion Bianchi? She lived _here_?

What happened to taking the evil sadistic baby back to Italy?

The door opened and a familiar voice said, 'Here's a midnight snack.'

Gokudera charged at the door and tried to shut it before she comes in.

'Let me in.' Bianchi demanded.

'Hey.' called Yamamoto.

'Don't just go along and greet her!' yelled Gokudera.

'Hayato, you're taking the gender of your older sister into too much consideration.'

'NO I'M NOT.'

He successfully shut the door and Yamamoto said,

'You guys get along so well.'

How dense was he? They obviously don't get along!

'No we don't' Gokudera growled.

'Look, she's-'

Suddenly the door handle melted I recognized the technique as Melting Sakura Mochi.

I would know since she nearly killed me with that move before. (*Shudder* unwanted memories…)

'Hot!' Gokudera exclaimed as he let go of the door handle.

The door opened to reveal Bianchi.

'So how do you like my poison cooking?'

She's as deadly as ever…

Tsuna just stared and said, 'You can do _that_ with poison cooking too?'

'Arggghh!' Gokudera groaned and fell to the floor holding his stomach.

Oh yeah, he was traumatized by his sister's cooking or something when he was younger…

'Hahi! That's dangerous!' said the other girl.

What was her _name?_ She's been with us this long and I still don't know.

'Oh, hey Mei. Long time no see.'

'You too.'

Tsuna looked surprised and said, 'You two know each other?'

'Yep.' We chorused.

After a near-death experience and an assassination attempt, I was _really_ well acquainted with her.

Gokudera joined Lambo on the bed and Bianchi studied the problem.

Was it that hard?

I moved by the window and just tuned things out. It was _so _totally boring here and I wanted to go home.

I haven't even had dinner yet…

Suddenly, Bianchi ripped up the paper as Tsuna yelled 'Noooo!' in a tragic, dramatic way.

'It has no love. I have nothing to do with this anyways.'

Wow, she's cold.

Then she walked out the door without a second thought.

Ah, Bianchi how I envy you…

I sighed.

This has gone on long enough.

'Can I see the question?'

'As if you could solve it!' yelled Gokudera.

'Let her.' said Reborn.

He was siding with me? That's…suspicious.

But it's not like anything bad can happen if I solve it, right?

Gokudera reluctantly handed over the paper and I eyed the problem. It was _easy._ How'd they have trouble with this?

'If there was glue on the papers at first, when they fall, they would stick together.'

The room gasped and Reborn smirked and said. 'As expected.'

Was he testing my intelligence? Oh well, you can't know through one problem…Or can you?

'Wow, Mei-san! You solved it instantly!' said Tsuna.

'Haha! I never knew you were so smart!' Yamamoto laughed.

'Tch. Vampire...' said Gokudera.

Pardon me?

The girl just stared at me.

'Well, since we're done with homework, I'll be leaving.'

I had to get out of here! These people were butting into my personal space…

'Wait, Mei-'

Too late, I already walked out the door.

When I reached my apartment, I collapsed on my bed and grabbed a bar of chocolate.

Sitting there in that room was so _boring._

As much as I liked peace, I hope tomorrow can be a bit more eventful.

Little did I know that I'd be wishing the exact opposite _real _soon.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry if Bianchi was OOC at the beginning!<strong>

**In this story, Yamamoto's suicide and Tsuna meeting Bianchi happen on the same day.(Didn't Yamamoto try suicide in the morning and Bianchi appear during lunch? It all works out if you look at it that way.)**

**Ciao!**

**Please click this and review to make me eternally happy : D**

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	5. Head Perfects and Klutzy Bosses Come

**Thank you all for the reviews and alerts!**

**I really appreciate it!**

**In this chapter, the gang fights Hibari!**

* * *

><p>I was a pretty nice person.<p>

As a pretty nice person, I knew I should be doing my best to make things easier for Tsuna, but I can't help it if he's so damn shy.

Currently, he was standing in front of my desk before classes have started and he was trying to ask me something but kept pausing and looking away embarrassedly.

What did he want with me? I'm quite sure we weren't exactly close friends yet and he usually avoided me so what the heck was going on?

Then I saw a flash of black outside the window.

Of course. Reborn had forced him to do this. Well, I suppose it can't hurt to act friendlier.

'You don't have to be shy around me you know.' I said in a mild voice and a small smile.

I know, I know. Cheesy, fake and totally lame even to me but Tsuna actually opened up.

'U-U-Ummm…..Mei-san, would you like to eat lunch with me on the roof today?'

I was a bit surprised. That was it?

'Sure. You don't have to address me as –san by the way.'

He nodded and then scurried off.

I mentally sighed. This kid had a lonnng way to go if he wanted to not fail at life.

I made my way to the back of the room and observed random people.

_**~At Lunch~**_

'Is that all you're gonna eat, vampire girl?'

I glanced at Gokudera. All I ate was a bar of chocolate since I didn't bother packing my lunch.

Hey, don't blame me, I was used to eating little so a bar of chocolate was enough to keep me full.

But I _do_ eat normal food.

Sometimes.

When I feel like it.

Right now, the gang was on the roof enjoying lunch under the clear blue sky.

I had to admit, it felt pretty nice up here but I still preferred my shady tree of darkness and evil that went so well with my personality.

As we all finished our meals, the boys started yawning and Gokudera started yelling at Yamamoto again.

I swear, those two fight like a married couple...

'So, Mei-chan, what do you like?' asked Tsuna as he tried to distract himself from the pair.

'I like chocolate and quiet places.

'Really?' said Yamamoto. 'No wonder you're always in the shade!'

No, I'm in the shade because my stupid skin can burn in the amazing time span of 5 minutes if I walk out without sunscreen and if you start saying I sound like a vampire from Twilight I will freakin' kill you...

'Typical vampire…' muttered Gokudera.

You-! Little-! He _still_ thinks I'm a vampire?

People these days…

'It's…peaceful here.' I murmured.

'Yeah, is there nothing interesting to do around here?' added Gokudera.

'There is.'

Nooooooo, not him…

'Huh? Reborn?' Tsuna said.

'Ow! Owowow!' Suddenly, Tsuna was attacked by chestnuts.

Next to him was Reborn dressed in a chestnut costume.

'Ow! Ow! It's poking me!' cried Tsuna.

Ugh, He _totally_ has something planned for me.

'What's with that costume!' Tsuna asked.

'A big surprise with a big chestnut?' said Gokudera.

'That's right? He got it right?'

'Nope, this is a sea urchin.'

'He's going along with it!'

'Ahahaha! That's funny!'

'This is camouflage for spying on people who commute on long distance trains.'

Seriously? You're kidding, right?

'Everyone's going to notice that.' Tsuna stated.

Exactly what I was thinking.

'Everyone's afraid of the spikes so I can relax.'

How one-sided…

'That's go nothing to do with spying!' Tsuna exclaimed.

Agreed.

'Bianchi made it for me in Home Economics when she was in Elementary school.'

Wait…doesn't that mean it's poisonous?

'The posion cooking one?' asked Tsuna.

'So whoever touches these spikes will go to heaven in thirty seconds.'

What? Tsuna, it was good knowing you…just kidding.

Reborn would never kill his own student, would he?

'EHH? Aggghhhh…'

Or not.

'Exactly thirty seconds. How precise.'

_That's_ what you care about? You're one nice tutor, that's for sure...

'Tsuna, are you okay?' I asked.

'H-Hey 10th! 10th!' yelled Gokudera.

'It's alright, he'll wake up in ten minutes. Until then, I know a good place where Tsuna can rest. '

Oh.

…Damn you Reborn.

We took him inside and stopped in front of the Reception Room.

Wait, Reception Room? Isn't that the place the creepy pompadour perfects took over?

(Those hairstyles are messed up...It's even more gravity defying that Tsuna's!)

'Is it here?' Gokudera asked. Reborn nodded a little.

NO. I am NOT going in there. I don't have a death wish!

I started walking away but Reborn stopped me.

'It's you're duty to protect Tsuna, right? You know what the Disciplinary Committee is like. His life might be in danger and he'll need all the help he can get.'

I bit my lip. He had a point. Not a single one of us stood much of a chance against the almighty Hibari Kyoya but maybe altogether…

'Fine, I'll stay.'

But I risk exposing my not-so-great skills and that's probably precisely what Reborn wants.

Didn't he understand that I wasn't going to join his family no matter _how_ much he pesters me?

We entered the Reception Room and placed Tsuna on the sofa like a dainty little princess. (Actually, that's half true...He does look like a girl y'know?'

'Wow, I never knew there was a room like this!' exclaimed Yamamoto.

'The Reception Room isn't used much. The furniture is nice and so is the view. It's also a convenient location. '

'What about it?' asked Yamamoto.

'This is going to be the family's secret headquarters.'

Yeah, it would be nice, but too bad someone already claimed it and that someone can easily send all of us to the hospital or even the afterlife if he was pissed off.

Which would be more than likely if he finds a group of people invading his private space called the Reception Room.

'Wow, sounds like fun! A secret hideout!'

'Are you a kid or something?' growled Gokudera. 'It sounds good, though. There definitely needs to be headquarters for a family.'

Hypocritical Bomber-Boy needs to learn some manners.

'It's decided.' Reborn declares.

…And just how long are you going to lead them on oh sadistic little one?

Suddenly the door opened and some lame-looking members of the Disciplinary Committee came in.

'You there, what are you doing here? Who told you to come here?'

Well, it's not Hibari so I don't have to fight them.

'Huh? What do you want?' growled Gokudera.

Their members stomped in and said,

'Don't act cocky. This room was given to us, the Disciplinary Committee .'

You're the ones acting cocky...

The one in the front looked as Tsuna and said,

'Who the hell is he?' Then kicked the couch Tsuna was on.

'Bastard.' said Gokudera. 'I don't care if you're some Disciplinary Committee. You're going to bite the dust.'

'What?'

'You're an eyesore. Get the hell out.'

Agreed, Gokudera.

Wait, did I just agree with him? It's the Apocalypse!

'You bastard…' hissed one of the pompadour wearing freaks.

And _that _was how an all-out brawl started in the Reception Room.

Throughout the whole thing, Reborn just sat there making coffee.

I didn't join since Gokudera and Yamamoto were more than enough to handle these lame guys with no fighting ability whatsoever because they suck at life and always will...

The real problem was…

'These watch dogs are useless.'

Speak of the devil, and he shall come. Fact now proven.

'Who are you?' Gokudera growled.

'He's Hibari Kyoya.' Yamamoto said uneasily.

'Huh, what? So you're one of those guys?' Gokudera said as he made his way towards him.

'Gokudera, wait-' Yamamoto tried to warn him, but Gokudera being the dense idiot he is, he ignored him.

'Just now, this place has become the Vongola Family's headquarters.'

He not in the mafia, dunce…

'Family? What kind of crowding is that?'

'Crowding? Whatever, just get out.'

Suddenly, something flashed and the coffee cup Gokudera was holding was cleaved in half.

Man, he was good.

'What the hell is this guy!' Gokudera exclaimed.

'I hate weak herbivores that crowd around.'

Gokudera got out his dynimate but was quickly defeated when he was sent flying.

Yamamoto went down just as fast.

Luckily, Tsuna wasn't in danger and he seemed to ignore me since I wasn't attacking him yet.

God, thank you for making me lack a presence.

I have never been so grateful before.

And then Tsuna just_ had_ to wake up at the worst time possible and see his friends out cold.

'Yamamoto? Gokudera-kun too? Why? What happened?'he exclaimed.

He tried in vain to wake them up.

Be smart and don't do anything to get on his nerves Tsuna!

Hibari walked over and dragged Gokudera and Yamamoto over to the window.

Don't tell me he's gonna...

'W-What are you doing!' Tsuna nervously asked.

'I'm cleaning up.'

HOLY CRAP, THIS IS BAD.

I looked at Reborn frantically with a 'Do something!' expression and hoped he got the obvious message.

Reborn grinned at me and took out his gun.

'Do it with your dying will.'

And he shot.

Tsuna went into Dying Will mode and tried to beat Hibari with... A SLIPPER?

WHAT THE HECK, LEON?

Then he just barely saved Yamamoto and Gokudera.

Oh no, Hibari was planning on attacking him while his back was turned (THAT'S PLAYING DIRTY)

If he lets go, Gokudera and Yamamoto would die but if he doesn't, he'll get the beating of a lifetime.

Crap, I have to help him.

I pulled out my pen and flipped out the dagger and blocked Hibari's attack. If I can distract him for a few moments, and lose a few limbs, Reborn can save the others.

'_Clang!'_

Tonfa meets dagger.

I winced under his strength.

'Wao, you're pretty strong.'

I just grunted and jumped back for another attack.

Looks like Reborn took care of Tsuna and his friends so now I was stuck in a room with a bloodthirsty perfect out to kill me.

Life is awesome.

* * *

><p>Hibari smirked at me.<p>

'I want to fight you.'

And thus, living hell began.

His attacks were so fast I could barely see them let alone dodge them.

Plus, his strength was _ridiculous._

I was already covered in brusies and only barely managed to give him the tiniest scratches in the history of tiny scratches.

My daily sparring with Luke is finally paying off. (Yeah, **I survived**. That's what matters)

But as strong as Luke was, he never came at me with true killing intent. There was no way I could win this battle without grave injuries or possible death.

Maybe I could talk it out.

'W-Wait, hold on-'

'_Slam!'_

He knocked my dagger out of my hand and proceeded to attack me again.

Oh _crap_.

I blocked his tonfa with my gloves but it still _hurt_. And these gloves were made to withstand _bullets_.

So much for talking my way out of it.

I jumped over the sofa and retreated a couple feet.

What do I do? I was unarmed and injured and likely to die within the next ten seconds if I don't do something _fast_.

I could reach for my sword/necklace but he would never give me the chance.

At this rate, I was _screwed._

That left one option.

Escape.

But how? If I look away for even a moment, my life was over.

But...last time I escaped out a window. Maybe I can do it again.

This time, when Hibari came at me, I ducked and dived for my dagger, landing myself a couple meters from the window.

Then I attacked him (Yeah, it sounds suicidal, but IT'S PART OF THE PLAN.)

We exchanged blows for a few minutes and I made sure to leave my lower body open.

Sure enough, he got me in the stomach and flung me at the wall.

'_Crack!' _

There goes my ribs, but now the window was right behind me.

As he came for the finishing blow, I threw my dagger and used the opportunity to escape...by jumping out the window and nearly breaking a leg in the process.

I panted heavily and leaned on the wall. I had escaped from the demon's lair!

But I had lost one of my weapons and came out with a broken rib or two.

Man, it hurts like hell!

'Mei-chan! Are you alright?' a familiar voice yelled. I looked up to see Tsuna and the gang coming towards me.

'Hibari didn't hurt you too much, did he?'

'Just some brusies and broken ribs...' I winced from the pain of standing up.

PAIN.

IT. BURNS. LIKE. HELL.

'We should probably get you to the nurse!' Yamamoto said.

'Thanks...' I murmured.

The two of them were nice enough to help me up and lead me to the nurse's office which was sadly unoccupied which resulted in me treating my own wounds as usual because no one gives a crap about my sorry life...

'Tsuna, can you pass me some bandages?'

'Y-Yes!' He said as he hurriedly grabbed some.

Gokudera just watched silently as I patched up my wounds.

'Good job, Mei. You risked your life to protect the boss.' Reborn complimented.

I grinned a little.

A compliment from the world's #1 hitman was pretty rare.

'You all should be thankful. She took a beating to save your lives. After you two passed out, Tsuna saved y'all when Hibari was about to throw you out the window but Mei fought Hibari to give Tsuna the opportunity get out without getting hurt.' Reborn stated.

'Really? Thanks alot!' said Yamamoto.

'I'm so sorry you had to go through all that!' Tsuna cried.

I'm sorry too that I had to do that to save your sorry butt from extinction...

'It's fine. I'll recover soon. You should be heading home.'

It's not fine.

It's faaaar from fine.

I am suffering from overdose of pain and looking at your face isn't helping.

Gokudera just stood there like a zombie.

'Can I have a word with her in private?'

Everyone else nodded and left.

He took a deep breath and bowed his head and then said,

'Thank you for risking your life to protect the Tenth and save my life as well.'

I smiled faintly.

Seeing Gokudera depressed was somewhat disturbing so I thought of ways to cheer him up and get him motivated.

'You should get stronger if you want to be his right hand man. Vampires won't always be around to save you, y'know.' I teased.

'Wha? Of course I'll get stronger! Just you watch!' he exclaimed.

'Do your best.'

He then left the room and it was all quiet. The nurse should come back soon and I'll have to go back to my apartment.

Looks like protecting Tsuna was going to be a lot harder than I thought, not to mention extremely painful.

Meh, some painkillers should solve the problem.

More importantly, I get an unscheduled vacation!

I guess that makes up for it...

* * *

><p><em>This was pure bliss.<em>

That was how I would describe what was going on.

At the moment, I was sitting on the sofa, slurping an absolutely delicious smoothie, watching a movie and ordering this high-quality chocolate cake I saw online.

Ah, the advantages of being injured. All that was missing were palm trees and a beach.

The last few days were perfect.

No screaming Tsuna, no sadistic baby, no bombs, explosions, gunshots, assassins, or annoying cows.

I wish it was always like this.

Too bad someone just _had_ to ruin it.

How did they ruin it? Well, the doorbell rang and the whole gang plus a couple new faces were at my doorstep.

'Ciaossu, Mei.' Guess who.

I just stared and then said as politely as possibly,

'Hey. Come on in.'

But inside my head I was going, _My days of peace and happiness are SO over…_

'Um, sorry if we're intruding. Reborn said we should all visit you to say thanks.' Tsuna said.

'Oh, it's fine. Did you get new friends?' I asked as everyone settled down in the living room.

'This is Ipin. We met a couple days ago. Ipin, this is Mei.'

'Nihao.'

'Hello, pleased to meet you.'

'Hahi! You're the girl from earlier! I'm Haru!' the girl now known as Haru exclaimed.

'Pleasure to meet you. My name is Mei.'

'Hahi! You don't have to be so formal!'

'KUROGANE, YOU'RE PLACE IS EXTREME!'

'Calm down Onni-san!' Tsuna exclaimed.

'Mei, this is Sasagawa Ryohei. He's the captain of the boxing club.'

'PLEASED TO MEET YOU! MY MOTTO IS EXTREME!'

'Um…right.'

This guy is_ way_ too energetic.

His sunny aura is blinding me and did Tsuna say Sasagawa? Doesn't that make him Kyoko's brother?

'Ahaha! I brought some sushi as get well presents! Wanna have some?'

Ah, Yamamoto, the nice, but slightly airheaded baseball nut…

'Sure. Can you put it on the table in the living room?'

I _did_ like sushi. Very much, as a matter of fact.

In the background, I heard someone mutter,

'So this is a vampire's house…'

That would be the still-deluded Gokudera. Honestly, when will he accept the fact that I'm human?

'Thanks for coming over. I'm nearly all healed. I'll be going back to school tomorrow.'

'Eh? Already? That's a bit fast. Are you sure you don't need more rest?'

'I'm fine.'

Yeah, during sparring, Luke sometimes got a bit carried away and breaks a bone or two so I'm a fast healer by now.

A broken rib and some bruises weren't _that _bad.

'Haha! You're place is really nice!' Yamamoto cheerfully complimented.

'Yes! Everything is so fancy-desu!' added the over-enthusiastic Haru.

'Thanks, feel free to explore.'

With that, Haru went off in the direction of my room and Yamamoto went off to my kitchen.

It actually makes sense since he's the son of a sushi chef. Did I have some salmon in the fridge?

'Gyahahaha! Lambo-san will eat the chocolates!'

'Wait, Lambo, be more polite!' yelled Ipin.

Looks like I need a new stock of chocolate when this is all over…

'Umm…Mei, are you rich?' Tsuna nervously asked as he sat on the couch.

'Somewhat.'

Yep, I was rich. _Billionaire _rich to be exact.

'Hey, Gokudera, there are some books on the shelf regarding supernatural creatures if you're interested.'

'What? Really?' Gokudera exclaimed.

He immediately went over to the book shelf and started checking them out.

I only had a couple books regarding vampires and werewolves but hopefully it'll do…

'Kurogane, I heard you took on Hibari! Join the boxing club!'

'Sorry, I'm busy.'

'What? That's a shame! You would be extremely good!'

I started sipping my smoothie again.

'Oi, Mei, Hibari's taken an interest in you wants to fight you again.' Reborn told me.

I nearly choked on my smoothie.

Hibari wanted to fight _me?_ Why me? I'm not that strong! He'll kill me!

'Why?' I managed to sputter after recovering.

'These are his exact words.'

He took out a recorder and hit the play button.

'The herbivore was strong and she perked my interest. I'll bite her to death the next time I see her.'

I paled. Okay, maybe running away was a bad idea.

What do I doooooo?

'I'm sorry Mei! This is all my fault!' Tsuna apologized.

'It's fine.'

NO IT'S NOT. I'M GONNA DIE.

'So how're you gonna deal with him?' Reborn inquired.

'I'll find a way.'

You're the reason I'm in this mess, so butt out.

After a while, everyone wished me well and left.

Now, to business.

Time to contact my tutors for weapons, AGAIN.

Well, I still had my sword/necklace but that was reserved for mafia only unless something comes up.

I had no intentions of using it in normal fights no matter how bloodthirsty the opponent(Hibari never _killed_ anyone yet, did he?).

The gloves were handy and I wore them every day but my strength was slightly low compared to the rest of my skills so it was no good for attacking.

My second email went like this.

_Dear Tutors,_

_I lost my pen/dagger and I need new weapons._

_Send over lots because I have a feeling I'll need all the weapons I can get._

_Preferably something I can throw and attack with. More of those pens would be nice but it doesn't have to be the same._

_Just make sure whatever you send can be taken to school._

_The bloodthirsty perfect I was talking about earlier is looking for a rematch and I have to be armed at all times or risk being beaten to a bloody pulp._

_(That guy is BRUTAL. He broke a couple of my ribs last time.)_

_From,_

_Your student in desperate need of help._

I hope they respond just as fast.

* * *

><p><strong><em>~After School~<em>**

'Hey, Mei, can you come over to my house?' Tsuna asked.

He seemed to be totally comfortable around me now, even though I still kept an emotionless expression and didn't talk much.

Maybe it was because I saved him from Hibari.

'Sure.'

We exited the school together and had a one-sided conversation.

'I bet Reborn is waiting for me at home…Maybe I should run away.'

Don't run, Tsuna. He'll subject you to many means of torture, drag you back, and make your life worse than it already is...

As we approached his house, we saw that it was surrounded by creepy men in black suits.

'Hieeee!' Tsuna squeaked.

The men noticed us and said,

'Welcome home master Sawada Tsunayoshi.'

Huh?

Then they cleared a path.

Wait…didn't Dino say he was gonna come over to Japan to see the Tenth?

Some of these men looked quite familiar.

When we entered the door, Tsuna's mom came out and said,

'Welcome home Tsu-kun. We have a guest.'

'What?' Tsuna responded.

'I never knew Reborn-kun had such a handsome friend.'

Handsome friend of Reborn = Dino.

Tsuna charged into his room and said,

'Reborn! What did you do now?'

Then he noticed the others in the room.

I hid by the door so I could listen in without being seen (Because my stalker skills are awesome like that. Mwuahaha~ Okay back to reality...)

'We've been waiting, Tsuna.' said Reborn.

'WHAT IS THIS?'

'Yo, head of the Vongola. I've come all the way from Italy to visit. I'm the 10th generation boss of the Cavallone Family. My name's Dino.' A familiar voice said.

Long time no see, Dino.

The leather chair in the room spun around to reveal our friendly blond haired mafia boss.

'Cavallone, as in mafia?' Tsuna exclaimed.

Yes, Tsuna, what else could it be?

Surprisingly, Dino began listing all the things that were wrong with Tsuna and Reborn joined him.

Soon the men in the room were chuckling and Tsuna was blushing heavily.

'Reborn! Who are these guys?'

'Dino is your senior pupil.'

Huh? Reborn trained Dino? That's new. I feel sorry for him now...

'A senior pupil?'

'I said a lot of harsh things but don't take it badly. Before I met Reborn, I had no talent of being boss.'

'Before meeting Reborn? Does that mean…?

'Before I came here, I was training Dino to become a mafia boss.' said Reborn.

'Seriously?'

'Reborn's lessons were no easy tasks. There were many times I thought I'd die.' Dino said.

Yeah, I can totally see that happening considering Reborn is a sadist not to mention an extremely crazy Spartan trainer...

'Thanks to him, I'm now a boss in charge of 5000 families.'

Wow, impressive.

I guess torture has it's benefits...

They talked about mafia and then introduced Tsuna to Dino's pet turtle, Enzo.

He was quite cute, in my opinion.

Suddenly, Lambo and Ipin came upstairs and entered Tsuna's room. Was Lambo holding grenades?

As expected the idiot tripped and the grenades went out the window.

'Idiot!' Tsuna exclaimed.

'This is bad. Dino's subordinates are outside.' Reborn stated.

Yes, we know that so keep your mouth shut, Captain Obvious.

Dino made an dramatic leap out the window and whipped the grenades into the air while calling out,

'You guys, get down!'

The grenades exploded harmlessly and everyone was safe.

As expected from a boss.

'Mei, you can come out now.' Reborn said.

Aw, he knew I was there…

'Dino, you're staying here tonight! I've already gotten permission from Mama.' He called out the window.

'I don't mind but what about these guys?' Dino asked.

'Your subordinates can return.' Reborn responded.

'Mei, stay for dinner.'

'Okay.'

But I don't wanna!

When Dino saw me, he said,

'Hey Mei! Long time no see! How have you been doing lately?'

'Great.'

Not.

'Mei, you know him?' Tsuna asked.

'I met him once and we became acquainted.'

Yep, when he was running away from fangirls in the middle of a mafia party.

Oh, Tsuna, the things that you don't know about...

We started dinner and the group chatted while I ate quietly (Because I am emo like that.)

Dino was quite a messy eater (VERY messy)

Maybe it was because he was from Italy and didn't use chopsticks.

Nana pointed it out and Reborn said that Dino was unless without his subordinates around.

'He's the type of person that can't use his power unless it's for the family. Without his subordinates, his reflexes decrease greatly too.'

That was interesting.

Does that mean he's practically helpless when he's alone? That's a fatal flaw for a mafia boss. (not to mention pretty damn pathetic...)

'What is that? Is it like the ultimate boss predisposition?' Tsuna asked.

'Again with that, Reborn. You believe me, right Tsuna? I usually eat with a knife and a fork so I just can't use chopsticks well.'

Hmmm...I wonder about that…

* * *

><p>Lambo went off to take a bath and we continued eating (not so) peacefully.<p>

'AHHHHHGGGG!' came a tortured cry.

'Lambo' Tsuna cried.

'What is it?' Dino exclaimed.

He got up only to trip on his own feet. Looks like what Reborn said was true.

This guy was _totally_ a stupid klutz without his subordinates around.

'D-Dino-san, are you alright?' Tsuna asked.

'I tripped over my own foot…'

'Huh?'

'Same as usual.' Reborn sighed.

'Seriously?' Tsuna exclaimed. 'What about Lambo?'

I really didn't give a crap about the stupid cow so I sat and calmly ate my rice as if absolutely nothing was going on while they went off to find Lambo.

'Nana-san, your food is very delicious.'

Indeed it was.

She could get rich if she starts a restaurant (Cuz it's just that awesome)

'Why thank you dear! You can can me Mama. Everyone does.'

It sounded like something was going on in the bathroom.

Should I go check it out?...Nah, I'd rather not get involved in whatever sort of crazy mafia-ness that they're stirring up.

'Thank you for the meal. Tell Tsuna I left.'

'Bye! Come again!'

* * *

><p>The next morning, I thought I'd stop by at Tsuna's house since it's on the way to school.<p>

Dino's creepy men were there again (Are they stalkers or something? They seriously act like one...)

'I'm leaving!' I heard Tsuna shout.

I was rounding a corner and he didn't notice my insignificant, unworthy presence (Like all people...)

'Good morning, Vongola 10th.' said the guy known as Romario.

'Uh, if it's about Dino-san…'

'Why are you guys here? I didn't ask for a pickup.' Dino interrupted.

'No one's here to pick you up, boss. We just happened to end up here after wandering around.'

'From the hotel in front of the station, eh?'

Yes, that is very believable.

Soon, Gokudera ,Yamamoto, and Haru came and said the same thing.

Are they all secret stalkers or something?

Oh well, looks like Tsuna doesn't need me as an escort anymore.

I walked ahead and made my oh-so-merry way to school with Tsuna and his gang a couple blocks behind.

Suddenly, there were panicked yells and I spun around.

Tsuna was captured and pulled in to a red car heading my way. The rest of the gang was too far behind.

Holy crap! I gotta do something!

I jumped onto the back of the car as it came by and clung on tightly.

Surprisingly, it turned a corner and came right back to the place Haru remained.

Dino walked out of the car and said,

'I like them.'

Screw you.

I lept off the roof of his car and said,

'So it was a test?'

You made me do that for nothing? Reborn's evilness must be rubbing off...

He did a double take and said,

'When did you climb on?'

'I was in front of everyone else and saw what happened so I thought I'd climb on the car and save Tsuna myself since the others were too far behind.'

Yep, and you never noticed because the universe was kind enough to make my presence severely lacking...

'Wow, that's some real bravery right there.'

No, it's not bravery.

It's called a sense of duty to fulfill the mission's requirements and I can't just let Tsuna be kidnapped by random Yakuza.

Romario came out from the other seat with Tsuna tied up like a pig ready for slaughter.

'Tsuna-san! You're alright! I'm so relieved!' Haru cried.

Ugh...drama queens...

'What were you thinking, Dino-san?' Tsuna said.

'Sorry,sorry. I was just testing your family.'

'Testing?'

'There's no such thing as Momokyokai. I just wanted to see if they'd try to help you. This one here did more than that, though. She would've saved you without fail if it had been a real kidnapping.'

Tsuna looked at me in awe and said,

'Really? Thanks.'

I just nodded.

'It's no big deal.'

It was _certainly _no big deal.

I just jumped on the roof of a high speeding car, risked my life for someone I really didn't know, and possibly went straight into an enemy headquarters.

Of _course_ it was no big deal! Really!

'Boss, I'll be leaving.' said Romario.

'Okay, thanks.'

Romario left and things were normal-ish again.

'Tsuna, you must be happy. It's rare to see a family that cares about their boss so much.'

I don't really care, I'm just doing this because I have to...How many times have I said that today?

'No, they're not my family, they're just my friends.'

And the Tuna is in denial...

'Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you, Momokyokai is a real Yakuza based on this town.' Reborn suddenly said.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Reborn, that's going overboard!

I ran off immediately and searched up their location on my cell phone (It's my mafia cell. It's got all sorts of info on it.) while Dino and Tsuna wasted precious time by yelling at Reborn who was suddenly asleep.

I took a shortcut by going on roofs and arrived in less than 5 minutes.

My epic entrance was jumping through a glass window and seeing Yamamoto and Gokudera fighting.

They were winning but it can't hurt to help, right?

Together, we took down the entire gang and the two of them started to interrogate them for Tsuna's location.

'Guys, Tsuna's actually-'

Just then Tsuna and Dino burst in.

Perfect timing.

You just missed all the action.

Gokudera dropped the guy he was questioning and said,

'Judaimei! You're alright!'

'You seem well.' said Yamamoto.

'We took care of them easily.' I said.

'Mei! How did you get here so fast!' Dino asked.

'Shortcut.'

Cuz I'm smart like that...

Suddenly, the other door burst open and tough looking guys walked in.

'What the hell are you brats doing?'

Looks like their boss it here. No sweat, I can handle these guys with just my gloves cuz they weren't mafia or Hibari so BRING IT ON!

Dino tried to negotiate but failed and then hit himself with his own whip.

Stupid Klutz...

In the end, Tsuna went into dying will mode with some insanely large fists, Dino's men arrived, and we totally trashed the place.

* * *

><p><em><strong>~Later At Tsuna's House~<strong>_

We were in Tsuna's room and they were having a conversation.

I decided to leave early and went right out the door without their notice.

Reborn watched me go and grinned at me.

Is it just me, or are we suddenly getting along now that he's not pestering/blackmailing/threatening me to join the Family?

Just as I reached the bottom of the stairs, I heard Tsuna and Dino and suddenly, I was on the bottom of a dog pile with me on bottom, Dino in the middle, and Tsuna on top.

Apparently, one teen and an adult can be extraordinarily heavy.

I felt like a _pancake_ down there! And this is utterly humiliating...

I tried to get up to avoid breaking a rib and winding up in the sickbed _again_... Fail.

Nana came by and said dinner was ready and Dino could stay.

'Okay.' Dino said.

'Will you stay tonight as well?' Tsuna asked.

'Because Mama's cooking is very good.'

I tried to shift my position…and failed. As usual. These two are freakin' heavy!

'Judaimei, are you alright?' Gokudera asked as he came down.

Gee, am I invisible?

'Somethin smells nice, can we stay too?' Yamamoto asked.

'Can you two get off please?' I asked as I gave up trying to get up by myself.

'Oh, sorry Mei!' Dino hastily got up and I stood and brushed myself off.

'Bye.'

I waved and walked out the door.

I _really_ didn't want to get any more caught up in the disaster called the Vongola Family.

Too bad fate hated me as the rest of the evening, the entire gang was chased by mega-sized Enzo.

I now officially hate turtles.

* * *

><p><strong>How was it?<strong>

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	6. And 9th Calls Me For A Friendly Chat

**New chapter~**

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* * *

><p>'What time is it...' I murmured as I drowsily got out of bed.<p>

I only had about 3 hours of sleep altogether.

Last night was absolutely hectic with Enzo chasing everyone until midnight.

To make things worse, I ran into Hibari on night patrol which, of course, resulted in a hellish game of tag with your life and dignity on the line.

A couple hours later, I finally lost him and dropped dead on my bed.

Too bad I forgot to set the alarm.

When my brain comprehended the numbers on my clock, I leaped out of bed, got dressed at speeds that would have put a ninja to shame, charged out the window, and sprinted full speed towards school.

Why? Simple.

At this school, lateness=**Death**. Courtesy of a certain oh-so-friendly head perfect.

Thankfully, I made it in time and sat down in my seat just as the bell rang.

Class was boring as heck and I just observed everyone who was in Tsuna's family.

During P.E. Tsuna was freaking out for some reason so being the kind, caring soul I was, I went over to talk to him after class.

'Tsuna, is something wrong?' I asked.

'N-N-No! Of course not!' He said hastily. Yep, something was definitely wrong.

'That's so embarrassing! You've never kicked a soccerball in your life!' a voice said. Seriously? Dude, that's sad...

I glanced around to identify the owner of the voice but no one was there and that it wasn't Reborn, either.

'Tsuna, is there something on your hand?' I think I saw something dark and emo looking on it a few minutes ago.

'No!' He showed me his left hand and put his right in his pocket.

'That's so embarrassing! You thought World Cup was a type of cup noodles!' A voice came out of Tsuna's pocket.

I just stared blankly.

'U-Um. See you after school?' Tsuna said as he ran off.

Hmmm...strange. VERY strange.

* * *

><p>After school, I looked around for Tsuna but he was no where in sight.<p>

I mentally sighed. Looks like he's still acting weird. As I walked home, my cell phone rang.

'Yes?' I answered.

'Mei, come over to Tsuna's home, now.' Reborn's squeaky voice instructed. Then he hung up. Aren't you just soooo polite?

I should get going...maybe it has to do with Tsuna's weird behavior.

**_~At Tsuna's house~_**

The door was already open so I just waltzed right in and come across the sight of someone dying of poison cooking, Bianchi on the stairs, Tsuna panicking, and Reborn standing there calmly.

'...What happened to him?' I asked Tsuna who was closest.

Not that I really cared, but it can't hurt to find out what what happened, right?

'Mei! When did you come here? More importantly, you know first aid, right? Can you deal with food poisoning too?' He asked in a hurry.

...you didn't evern answer my question.

Oh well.

Poison means Bianchi and Bianchi means mafia.

'Feisty as usual.' came a muffled voice.

The dude who was supposedly poisoned/dead peeled a napkin off his face to reveal that he was perfectly fine.

I glanced at Reborn and said,

'Why's Dr. Shamal here?'

He was quite famous as Trident Shamal the mosquito disease hitman.

'Reasons.'

'...I'm leaving.' Because I can.

What?

Dr. Shamal is perverted and hits on any girl he sees even if they're 15+ years younger than him.

I'd rather not get molested, thank you very much. Hugs are bad enough...

Also, he's probably here to deal with whatever problem Tsuna has so no worries there (but didn't he only treat girls? Then again, Tsuna can pass off as a girl any day so I guess things'll work out).

I left hurriedly and found a really_, really_ large package and two letters waiting for me on my doorstep.

I decided to open the letters first.

The first one said,

_What's up?_

_I got your plea for help!_

_Do you like ninjas by any chance? I think all people do. I was watching a movie and was hit with inspiration. _WTF?

_I got you a set of kunais and surikens! There's a little pouch to go with it so it's fine for everyday use even though I'm not too sure about school. _You're crazy. You. Are. Crazy.

_Plus, you said you wanted something you can throw and attack with so they're absolutely perfect. _I guess...

_Those pens are out of stock since people request them like crazy so I got you a bracelet instead! _Really? That's awesome...

_It works just like the necklace and the blade is 5 inches long, same as the pen, but a little thinner._

_Hope it's a good substitute!_

_From, _

_Your caring tutor, Luke_

_P.S. There's a party soon and the invitation should have arrived with the box._

_Be sure to show up since this time, Vongola the Ninth will be there._

I opened the box and found sets of kunai.

I can't believe he was serious! My life is not a movie!

How could he be so random?

And_ ninjas_? What sort of movie was he watching? (I'd understand if it was Naruto Shippuden, but _still_...)

Oh well, it'll work (Hopefully).

The pouch can double as a purse so I wouldn't be having trouble camouflaging them when I go outside (Yeah, I don't want people staring at me like I was crazy...)

The problem was how I would bring it to school.

Up my sleeves? It'll fall out.

Socks? Can't reach it fast enough.

Rim of skirt? Yeah, that'll work.

Now that I think about it, if he was into ninjas, why didn't he get some smoke bombs while he was at it?

That would be _really_ helpful against Hibari.

I filled up the pouch with my newly acquired weapons, put on the bracelet, and then opened the second letter.

Inside the plain envelop, there was the said invitation to a mafia party in Italy.

Looks like I'll have to skip school...wait, it's tomorrow? HOLY-!

I immediately grabbed a phone and called the school.

'Hello? This is Kurogane, Mei. I'll be absent the next few days to visit a dying relative. Bye.'

I hung up before they could even answer and the got out my cell phone to call my mafia friends (*cough*servants).

'Hey, Anthony, get the private jet ready, I'll be at the airport in about 10 minutes.'

Then I left out the window,(why does it seem like the window's the new door?) and used my (not so)awesome skills to arrive in time.

I boarded the plane and told Anthony to head to headquarters in Italy. He's a mafia pilot so he should know...If not, then please jump off the plane and let me take over.

He understood and started flying immediately (Good, I don't have to kill anyone...)

I sat down on the fancy leather seat and opened the mini fridge to get some lemonade.

Man, why did my tutors have to make me come over on such short notice?

If the letter had arrived a day later, I would've missed the party! (Which would be extremely rude not to mention risking potential death because some Mafia bosses would kill you for breathing the wrong way...)

I sipped my lemonade and looked out the window.

Hopefully, this time, I won't have to dress up...

* * *

><p>When I walked through the mansion doors, this was how my first greeting went.<p>

'Meeeeeeeiiiiiiii! You're back!' Alicia yelled as she caught me in a bear hug.

'...c-can't breath...' I choked out. WHY AM I SO SMALL? I am dying down here!

'Oh sorry, it's just been so long since I've seen you!' she cheerfully said after letting me go.

Air sweet air...

'Good to see you're in one piece, Mei.' said Luke.

'Welcome back!' added Matt.

Looks like nothing changed since I left. I missed this place quite a bit...

'So about this meeting...'

'Oh right, come with me. I'll fill you in on the details.' Alicia said as she dragged me off to a random room nearby.

As we settled down on the couches, she told a maid to get us some refreshments.

'Alright, now then, to business!'

I just nodded.

'This is just a friendly mafia party to talk with everyone but it's also one of the biggest parties of the mafia world. Vongola Ninth himself is hosting it and just about every family in the alliance it going to be there.'

Wow, that really _was _big, but why did unworthy little me have to show up? Shouldn't it just be the top ranks or something?

'How come I have to come?' I asked. My insignificant presence should not be required...

'Well, the Ninth requested that you show up so we had to call you over on short notice.'

Seriously? The NINTH? I hope I can come out of this party alive...

'There are supposed to be 5-10 members from each family so it doesn't get too crowded. For us, that would be you, me, Luke, Matt, and Jacob.'

'Who's Jacob?' Never heard of the dude.

'He's the eldest member of our organization and the unofficial leader. It _is_ probably the biggest party of the century so you should be honored you can go even though you're the youngest member.'

Greaaaaat.

'You'll have a great time! But nearly all the families will try to recruit us so watch out. Don't accept any requests in public.'

You call that having a great time? Also,

'What about in private?'

'Maybe. Depends on who. If it's one of the biggest families with conditions that can't be topped, then yes.'

So basically I just have to say hi to the Ninth and then get the hell outta there...

* * *

><p><strong><em>~At the party~<em>**

It was EPIC.

That was the one way to describe the party.

There were diamond chandeliers (DIAMOND. That's crazy! How rich are these people?) , blood red carpets, best quality food, and flamboyant decorations.

The people there were all high ranking mafioso and the aura was relaxed but everyone was on guard.(Hey, it's a party full of assassins. Who wouldn't be?)

This time, I was wearing a slim royal blue and black satin dress that reached my ankles and black high heels.

Thankfully, I didn't have to wear make-up other than some eyeliner and lipgloss.

The Vongola's mansion was ten times bigger than ours (THAT'S FRIGGIN' HUGE!) and I heard that it was filled with traps (Are you trying to kill your own members?) as well.

I sighed inaudibly.

Why was I always dragged into these events? And was that Dino running away from screaming fangirls again?

I made my way to a small room that appeared unoccupied.

Or so I thought.

'Ciaossu.'

Oh, great, it's the sadistic baby from hell...

'Reborn, shouldn't you be in Japan?'

Please go away, I like make my sanity in tact.

'It's only for a few hours. As the Ninth's most trusted hitman, I should show up at a party where assassins may appear.'

Makes sense, but still...

I noticed some movements underneath the table and lifted the covers.

'Hey, Dino. Running from fangirls again?' Looks like I wasn't seeing things after all...

'Yep.' he sheepishly said.

'You can come out. No one's here besides me.' Well, there's Reborn, but he's not a rabid fangirl...

He crawled out from under the table and sat down on a chair. Reborn suddenly vanished for no apparent reason.

Oh well, I'm glad he's gone.

I decided to talk to Dino since I've got nothing better to do.

'Does this happen every time?'

'_Yes_. The moment I'm not surrounded by my men, I'm mobbed.' He said exasperatedly.

Ah, poor Dino.

I just nodded at him and tried some of the refreshments.

Suddenly, a intimidating looking guy entered the room and then came to me and said,

'Kurogane-sama, the Ninth requests a private meeting with you. Please come this way.'

O_O Okaaaay...

I followed him wordlessly with Dino watching me with concerned eyes.

He led me to a different room and opened the door to reveal the Ninth, two of his Guardians, and Reborn waiting for me at a large table.

The fuck?

'Please, have a seat.'

As I sat down, I wondered what the most powerful mafia boss could possibly want with me since I'm an insignificant little little prick not worthy of the attention of the ruler of the underworld.

Not that I would ever want his attention, mind you.

Can fate ever respect my wishes?

Apparently not considering my current position.

'Kurogane, I've been informed by Reborn that you are doing a fine job protecting my grandson Tsunayoshi so I'm going to propose a deal.'

I gulped. What could it be?

'The Vongola will do everything they can to discover the culprit who killed your family, but in return, you must join Decimo's Family.'

I blinked in shock.

They would do that to make me join Tsuna's family?

It was a fair offer, but did I really want to join the Family of the one who would rule the mafia underworld someday?

Not to mention they are the reason my parents are dead in the first place...

'The rest of the ally families won't know about this either. You will not be joining the Vongola family but only aiding Sawada Tsunayoshi. The Vongola Family has no control over you whatsoever.'

I looked over at him blankly. (POLITELY BLANK. Not my insulting deadpan face since I'm not suicidal...)

Normally, I would turn it down, but with the deal being offered none other than the ruler of the underworld? Not unless I was batshit crazy with a death wish.

With no choice (Since I never have one) I said,

'I accept the deal. I am now part of Decimo's family.'

Sadly.

Hey, don't blame me for giving in.

The whole time, I was being glared down by his Guardians, subjected to killing intent by Reborn(It was suffocating! It was like Hibari's killing intent mutiplied by three!), and I really didn't have a good excuse to turn it down (Well actually, I just couldn't come up with one, but that's irrelevant. Blame my lack of brain cells).

That was also the reason why right after the party, I was depressed and pissed off in my little emo corner while emitting murderous aura in the car.

'Mei, what happened?' Luke asked.

Luke, did you know that curiosity killed the cat?

Well, I probably can't kill him considering he's the one who taught me how to fight and pwns me everyday at training, but I can't help it if my brain was programmed this way...

It can't hurt to tell, right?

'The Ninth offered a deal and I accepted it due to pressure and fear of death.'

'What was his offer?' asked Alicia. You too?

People are just so keen on poking their nose into my business, aren't they?

'He made me join Decimo's family. Reborn was there emitting killing intent my direction the whole time. He's probably the one who suggested it in the first place.'

Yeah, the little bastard...I should have seen this coming considering everything he put me through...

'What did they offer in return?'

'They would try to find the identity of the one who killed my family.'

Silence followed after that.

They all knew my parents are a touchy subject to me.

But that wasn't what got me so depressed.

I considered Tsuna as a dependable friend and all, but I would never truly open up to him (Sure, I care for the little twerp, but we're not that close! Heck, he doesn't even know anything about me other than my name and face!)

Did he ever save my life? No.

Did he ever help me in any way? No.

Am I pissed? Very.

And yes, I was still bitter over the fact that my parents died protecting him.

I had planned on leaving him the moment my mission was over so I can move on with life and forget the sorry little twit existed.

Now, I was chained to him forever and doomed to serve the family that destroyed my life.

Oh, the irony.

I'll just have to suck it up and deal with it the best I can (And hope that I don't die in the process...)

* * *

><p>'AHHHHHHH!'<p>

'JUDAIMEI!'

'Are you alright, Tsuna-kun?'

At the moment, Gokudera was spilling hot ramen on Tsuna's face, Yamamoto was dodging baseballs hurled from tanks, and Kyoko and I were the innocent bystanders.

All this was done in the name of training.

Why was I involved? Because due to circumstances, I was now (Unfortunately) part of Tsuna's family.

'Water! Water! WATER!'

_**~Few Minutes Later~**_

'I'm sorry, Judaimei! I'm really, really sorry!' cried a distraught Gokudera.

Yes, you should be.

You just poured boiling ramen over the face of your boss-to-be and caused him to scream like a girl.

Not that is wasn't funny, though.

Tsuna recovered and said,

'It's wasn't your fault.' Like heck it wasn't.

Yamamoto and Dino came up to the window and asked,

'What are you guys doing? I heard your screams outside.'

'Yamamoto! What a relief!'

'This guy's amazing.' said Dino. 'He's able to dodge all the balls now.'

Oh right, Yamamoto was dodging cannonballs...

'It was pretty tough, though!'

It's supposed to be...

'As expected of Yamamoto!' Tsuna cried.

Suddenly, Gokudera walked out of the room silently with his depressed emo face on.

I just watched.

Why was I even here? It's not like Reborn was going to train me (Although I was quite glad he didn't).

Ever since I came back from Italy, things were totally crazy (It was madness. Sheer MADNESS.)

In the past three days, I've encountered deadly exploding lunchboxes, extraordinarily poisonous dumplings, epicly failed confessions, and the somehow-more-bloodthirsty-than-usual Hibari.

Yep, life was definitely great.

'Leave him be.' said Reborn.

Wow, Reborn, you are _such_ a compassionate tutor.

We went outside and proceeded with training like nothing ever happened.

'I've got another lesson for you, Yamamoto.'

He handed him a bat and told him to hit away the balls fired from the tank.

That's crazy.

There's no way he could possibl- wow, he actually got it on the second try.

And was he holding a sword?

Reborn must be trying to equip him with weapons or something.

I glanced over at the innocent little flower by the name of Kyoko.

She was kinda like me (excluding appearances and innocence) just sitting there watching everything.

She was pretty, patient, idol of the school, and appears at ease with a giant tank in front of her.

I fully approve of her being the future wife of Tsuna.

Besides, they were both a little bit dense when it came to certain matters (Lots of matters actually...)

If everyone was going to train, I should probably join so I don't get left behind in the dust.

Besides, I had a good idea of who to ask.

'Reborn, I'm leaving for a while.'

Then I went off to somewhere without explosions to call Bianchi.

* * *

><p>'You want me to teach you poison cooking?' A surprised looking Bianchi said.<p>

'Yes.'

Yes I want to learn the horrid means of making people die slow, poisonous death.

It makes me appreciate life and feel good about myself when I watch others suffer. (Yes, I'm sadistic. When you think you've been through it all, it always helps when you see someone going through something worse).

'Well, I've always wanted a student so let's get started!'

I had called her over to my apartment and right now, we were in the kitchen with a table full of poisonous mushrooms, acid, toxins, snakes, bugs, and other random crap that was exceedingly dangerous in many ways.

'What sort of dish do you want to learn?'

'Melting Sakura Mocchi.'

What? That move is deadly. Plus, it was the only one I remembered so yeah…

We got started and surprisingly, it was quite fun (counting out the fact that the stuff was deadly and had melted through part of my table. Better get a new one...)

3 hours later, I had a fancy buffet of poison cooking emitting purple smoke on my table.

'Thanks, Bianchi.'

Not really, but I'm a polite person.

'No problem! Feel free to call again!'

Now, what should I do with all the poison in the house?

Send it to Reborn as a present? He'll probably pay me back painfully.

Gokudera? That'd be too cruel. He already went through it all...Do it again and he might actually die...

Yamamoto? I'm not evil enough to kill innocent baseball nuts.

Hibari? Not unless I've got a death wish.

Throw it out the window? There'd be a gaping crater on the ground and I'll get sued, so no.

Hmm…

In the end, I just put it all in the fridge and packed some for my lunch tomorrow.

No, I'm not going to eat it. (No one would be that stupid...)

It was reserved for melting doors, burning holes, killing someone, ect.

You never know when it'll come in handy!

* * *

><p>It was Vongola style New Years which means I should lock myself in my apartment and hide from Reborn until it's over because Vongola traditions involve unwanted chaos and madness that I would like to avoid at all costs.<p>

Did my plan work?

Of course not!

Apparently, Reborn decided to come over and kidnap me so here I was, tied up in the back of a truck watching as Tsuna and the gang chatted with Dino, completely unaware of my seemly invisible presence.

Soon, they got on and they finally noticed sad little me tied up like an animal ready for slaughter (It actually felt like that, too. I could feel waves of impending doom being emitted by Reborn...)

'Mei! What happened to you!' yelled Tsuna.

'Ahaha! Did someone kidnap you?'

Bingo, Yamamoto.

'When did you get on?' exclaimed Dino. 'And why are you tied up?'

'Reborn.'

One word was enough to make him understand what happened.

'That guy always goes overboard.' He said exasperatedly as he helped untie me.

The gang headed over to the river and the epic battle began.

When I say epic, I mean epic failure since Tsuna's team was losing rapidly and I had no intention of helping whatsoever.

Actually, I just sat by Reborn and declared that I wasn't feeling well enough to participate (Reborn let me off! It's a miracle! Well, the fact that I puked up some blood due to intense dizzy-ness and desperation probably helped...)

In the end, it was a draw with Tsuna and Dino being chased by Bianchi who was trying to get them to commit suicide by eating her poison cooking.

* * *

><p>The next day, it was a weekend and I planned on having a peaceful time by myself.<p>

Too bad my plans were ruined when Reborn called and told me to go to the zoo.

Should I ditch?

Nah, I didn't want him to drag me over there forcefully like yesterday.

Trust me, that's not something I'd like to experience ever again.

I figured I might as well get it over with so I took the bus and got on my way.

When I walked through the zoo gates, I stared with a deadpan expression at the scene before me.

There were explosions, screaming, lions outside, monkeys eating ice cream, penguins on cups, alligators in the lake, and Ryohei going against a bear in video games.

I don't even want to know why Tsuna's in his boxers with a red panda on his lap.

And was that Bianchi kidnapping the king cobra?

I promptly turned around and left.

* * *

><p>Snow, sweet snow...<p>

I had liked it ever since I was a kid.

But this winter, my opinion of snow changed from harmless and delicate to life-threatening and dangerous.

How?

Well, as I walked past the school, I stared as Bianchi, Lambo, and Ipin hurled purple snowballs, Dino and his men fighting back, Tsuna running for his life, and Reborn standing there in caveman clothing.

I walked off in a different direction hoping to get away before being noticed and came across the scene of a bunch of delinquents out cold and Hibari with a snowball.

...

I do NOT wanna know what happened...

'Hey, Hibari, there's something going on at the back of the school that you might want to checkout.' I called since he had already noticed me.

Then I sprinted up the stairs nearby and hoped he didn't follow.

Sorry, Tsuna, but I'd rather not have a snowball fight with the devil.

That's what you're here for.

I thought I'd watch everything from the roof where it was safe from mentally deranged hitman and perfects that somehow turned snowballs into deadly killing weapons that can bring in the Apocalypse on a smaller scale.

Hibari was taking his sweet time going to the back of the school, Enzo came in contact with water, someone died of poison cooking, Gokudera was throwing dynamite, Yamamoto and Dino were trapped in a snowball and it seemed everyone minus Tsuna was out of commission.

I was so glad I wasn't down there...

* * *

><p>When I woke up...I nearly screamed as I realized I was in the middle of nowhere.<p>

There was a letter by my side that said,

_I turned this place into a replica of death mountain._

_For training, everyone's going to be here so look around and try to find someone._

_Try to get off the mountain if you can._

_Ciao!_

Reborn...Damn you!

Do you have to screw up my life with every chance you get?

Apparently so.

After lots of mental cursing (because you can never be sure that Reborn wasn't secretly watching you), I checked my pockets.

I'm pretty sure I kept my cell phone with me even when I sleep...

Yes, my cell phone was here! I'm saved!

I called Anthony and told him to look for me on the mountain in Namimori.

30 minutes later I was back home safe and sound.

HA! In your FACE, Reborn!

Now I just had to remember to upgrade my security to make sure Reborn doesn't kidnap me in my sleep again!

...You know what, screw that.

He'll have no problems getting past any traps I come up with so I better just take it like a man...or woman.

Whichever works.

* * *

><p>It turns out that while I was lucky enough to come back without a scratch, Tsuna had broke his leg so I thought I'd show a rare act of kindness by visiting him in the hospital with some get-well cake.<p>

He was in a private room so I just walked up to him and said,

'Here's a get well present. Hope you like it.' as I put my cake on a counter nearbly.

'T-Thanks, Mei.'

Suddenly, Yamamoto came in and presented Tsuna with sushi, which, unfortunately, was eaten by Reborn because he's evil like that.

There was a boom and the person I assumed was 10-year-later Lambo appeared and gave Tsuna a pretty pathetic toilet cleaning award.

Looks like some people will always be hopeless...

As I made my way out of the hospital, a dude flew past me and I looked to see the source.

Was that...Hibari?

WHAT THE HECK IS HE DOING AT THE _HOSPITAL_?

No time for questions, just run for your life!

I feel extreme sympathy for whoever had to share a room with him.

They probably came out more wounded than they first started (The poor souls...I'll send you flowers...maybe...)

And how can stuff like this happen at a hospital in the first place?

* * *

><p>Ah, Valentines Day, the day of giving chocolates...<p>

Chocolate was the only reason I even remembered Valentines Day in the first place so I thought I'd make some for everyone since I'm such a nice person (I'm really not. I just wanted to honor traditions...and enjoy awesome chocolate, but that's besides the point...)

My cooking skills aren't half-bad either.

**_~At School~_**

I went up to the gang and handed over their chocolate wordlessly.

I even gave one to Reborn!

'Ahahaha! Thanks!' said Yamamoto.

Gokudera 'Tched' but he still accepted it with a mumbled thanks. Where were his fangirls?

Tsuna stared in shock and then blushed heavily.

'T-thanks Mei.'

I nodded and Reborn said,

'This is probably the first time someone other than his mom gave him chocolate!'

'Oi, Reborn!' Tsuna cried.

I quietly left the room to search for a certain someone that I thought deserves some chocolate.

Delivering it would mean risking my life but this guy was always doing everything he can to protect the school.

You've probably guessed who it is.

It was none other than the feared Hibari Kyoya.

Why? Because I'm awesome like that and he hasn't tried to kill me lately (Not as much as usual anyways...)

I went to the Reception Room and knocked.

'Come in.'

I opened the door and quickly tossed him my chocolate.

'Happy Valentines Day.'

Then I scrammed and went back to homeroom.

I wonder if Hibari likes sweets...

* * *

><p>Later that day, I was at Tsuna's house accepting chocolate fondue from Kyoko and Haru.<p>

I would have enjoyed it if it wasn't for the fact that Bianchi made the crackers.

'Now, enjoy.' She said as Gokudera got a stomachache, Reborn fell asleep and Tsuna started panicking.

I sighed.

No point in having someone die pointless death today.

I took one of the crackers, dipped it in chocolate, and took a bite.

Everyone stared at me flabbergasted and Reborn's little sleep bubble popped.

'N-No way...' Gokudera muttered as he clung onto his stomach.

'Hieee! That's poison!' cried Tsuna.

Yes, I know it is poison. You should be SO glad it wasn't you.

'It's delicious. Good job, all of you.' I said to the girls. My stomach is starting to burn...

They high fived each other and left the room.

I can't believe I took a bullet for these guys right then and there...

'Mei! I can't believe you did that! Are you aright from eating poison cooking?' Tsuna exclaimed.

No, I am NOT alright.

'Please excuse me, I need to go somewhere.' I said as I hurried out the door.

They better appreciate my ultimate sacrifice! (Okay, it wasn't that bad but still...)

I didn't die, but I was puking out my guts for a hour afterwards.

What a nice way to end an otherwise perfect Valentines Day...

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry this chapter was so choppy and short-ish!<strong>

**I want to hurry up and get through with the fillers.**

**Next up is Longchamp!**

**R&R please!**

**l**

**l**

**V**


	7. Longchamp, Futa, And Mukuro Come

**This chapter will be the last of the fillers!**

**Poll results so far **

**1. Hibari**

**2. Tsuna, Mukuro, someone from Varia **

**VOTEEEE! Poll is on my profile!**

**I'll be doing a love triangle for 1st and 2nd place so I need someone to break the tie.**

**Enjoy! **

**And please review? *Puppy dog eyes***

**I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.**

* * *

><p>I wonder how the classes will be split…Maybe I'll get lucky and be in a different class than Tsuna.<p>

I joined the crowd looking at the board.

Aw crap, looks like everyone's in the same class.

Whatever, it's not that be of a deal…I think.

_**~In Class~**_

'I'm telling you, I'm gonna be a mafia boss!' Longchamp bragged.

WHY did he have to be in our class? Of all people…

'Everyone please return to your seats. The teacher is unable to come today.'

Hm? Was that Reborn dressed as the teacher? What's going on?

'I'm the substitute, Reboyama.'

Reboyama? Is that the best he can do? Seriously…

'It may seem a bit early, but let's choose the class president today. Any nominations?' he asked.

'HERE! I think Naito Longchamp would make a great president!' said one of Longchamp's subordinates.

Didn't anyone think it was a _bit _strange that a 40 year old man was in middle school?

'Hold it, I nominate Sawada-san.' said Gokudera.

That wasn't surprising at all.

This was the first time I've heard Gokudera call Tsuna by his name, though.

Somehow, in the end, it turned into a bragging contest between Tsuna and Longchamp.

Longchamp won when he was shot with what I supposed was the desolation bullet and started mourning over how horrible his miserable life was.

I can't believe they would use a special bullet over something so trivial.

Still, I gotta admit, being best friends with a dog is pretty pathetic.

_**~After School~**_

Luckily, today was a half day so everyone got to leave early.

'JOIN THE BOXING CLUB,SAWADA!'

I heard that from the other side of the wall and thought I'd see what's going on.

Too bad I regretted it about 5 minutes later.

It seemed that Ryohei was trying to get Sawada to join the boxing club and was then shot with a desolation bullet so now he was in his boxers gushing tears and telling everyone how horrible life was.

'Sawada-chan, I feel so sorry for him! Why don't we just join?' said Longchamp.

'Ahhh! This is the effect of the desolation bullet!' cried Tsuna as he ran off.

Thoughout the whole thing, I just staaaaaared.

The tall dude was abusing the desolation bullet.

Remind me to avoid him at all times and never get Longchamp's attention. EVER.

* * *

><p>Did my plan work?<p>

No, of course not.

Reborn just HAD to drag me into things, so here I was, walking into enemy headquarters armed with kunai and suriken.

Why on earth were Haru and the kids coming along anyway?

And how come for some reason no one even noticed I was trailing behind them the whole time?(Minus Reborn)

I must be simply that insignificant...

'Here's the Tomaso base.' said Reborn.

Hmmm…pretty nice mansion but my group's headquarters are way better.

'Alright, first, it needs to be scouted. This should be done by an underling.'

With that, he kicked Lambo over the wall soccer style.

That's a bit harsh, even by my standards.

Then again, now there's a use for the stupid cow...

There were screams and yells on the other side of the wall. I hope he comes back alive…Not that anyone would miss him, but he _is_ a 5 year old.

The door opened to reveal a group of men holding Lambo who strangely, seemed beaten up.

Gokudera was about to attack with his dynamites of epic doom, but then, they suddenly passed out.

Weird base, weird bullets, weird boss, and weird subordinates. This family is just plain _weird_.

'Ah, it's Sawada-chan! You guys are too shy! If you're gonna visit, tell me first!' exclaimed Longchamp.

The noisy, hyperactive, messed-up-in-the-head boss has arrived…

He explained that there were some 'internal disputes' today.

Personally, I think it was more like mini mafia war in a yard.

This place can't get any crazier.

* * *

><p>…I take that back, we just entered Longchamp's room and it was like a trash dump.<p>

It just got grosser when Longchamp and Lambo started a booger fight.

I swear, that guy has the brain of a five year old…

And then, to top it off, Longchamp's new girlfriend rose out of all that crap and made her epic(ly messed up) entrance.

'Lonchamp-kun, what are you doing? Why did you let enemies into our property?' yelled the tall dude who's name I _still_ didn't know.(Then again, it doesn't matter since he's not important…)

And that was when Reborn and Gokudera started destroying the place like the crazy, brain-damaged mafioso they are.

I thought this was a good time to get the hell outta here so I left the room...and encountered flying pinwheels.

That Pantera girl was standing in front of me and blocking my way.

'You...are the enemy...' Emo much?

I countered her pinwheels with kunai and suriken and soon we were having a ninja-like brawl of flying weapons.

Too bad I ran out of blades after about 10 minutes.

Just how many pinwheels does this kid have?

That was when I used my bracelet/dagger to deflect them and charge.

Suddenly, she ran past me and attacked Longchamp.

I stared with a 'Huh?' expression as she started throwing pinwheels that Longchamp miraculously dodged. (That guy has reflexes? It's a miracle of mother nature...)

Did something happen between the two of them?

Oh well, too bad so sad. I don't give a crap anyways...

I used this opportunity to leave.

Later, I watched from a tree far, far away as the Tomaso headquarters went up in flames.

Wonder what'll happen to Longchamp…

_**~Later at Tsuna's house~**_

'Sawada-chan, can we stay here for a while?'

'ACCCKKKKK!'

* * *

><p>'Kurogane-nee, help me!' cried a cute little boy with brown hair.<p>

I was just making my way back home afterschool when he came up to me.

That appearance...Looks like he's ranking Futa, the information specialist.

'What's wrong?' I asked.

I might be cold, but I wasn't cold enough to abandon this cute little boy in the streets. (He is FRIGGIN' ADORABLE. Say otherwise and I will hurt you...)

'Kurogane-nee ranks #32 in Mafioso who would help a fellow ally so please hide me!'

Oh, so the poor kid was being chased? Wait…was that a group of men in black suits coming our way?

'Follow me.'

I grabbed him and took him over to Tsuna's house.

He was the boss, wasn't he?

Let him deal with this.

We sat down in his room and waited.

'Oh, looks like you found the Ranking Futa, Mei.' said Reborn.

Yes, indeed I have or else why would there be a human being that perfectly fits the description of Ranking Futa standing before your eyes and making his adorable puppy dog face?

Or are you just blind?

Keeping my comments to myself (He IS the world's strongest hitman), I nodded and sat down.

Soon Tsuna came in and muttered,

'I'm so tired...'

Gee, I am too, but does anyone care? No.

Futa immediately shook hands with him and said,

'I finally get to meet you! Nice to meet you, Tsuna-ni!'

'Eh? Tsuna-ni? Who are you?'

'Seems like he has a favor to ask you.' said Reborn.

'A favor?'

No duh, why else would he be here?

Futa explained his situation and Tsuna, being the softhearted guy he is, agreed to help.

'Since he's here, why don't y'all get ranked in a few things?' said Reborn.

'That sounds like fun!'

The door opened to reveal Haru.

'Is that a new type of fortune telling?'

Is it true that you have a brain the size of a bean?

We are mafia. We do not do fortune telling.

Oh wait, she doesn't know that.

Nevermind...

Haru got rankings on her top 3 charm points which I thought was extremely dumb, but whatever...

The stuff in the room started floating and Futa began ranking random stuff about Ipin and Lambo.

Then it was my turn.

'Kurogane-nee's speed ranks 95 out of 135523 making her one of the fastest people in town. Her intelligence ranks 27 out of 1235234 making her one of the most well-informed mafioso in the mafia.'

That was pretty nice but I totally saw that coming.

During training, Alicia pounded information into my brain and I knew just about everything(that's important).

After all, in this world, knowledge is power.

Besides, with a demonic perfect chasing you down on daily basis, who wouldn't be fast?

Few minutes later...

'JUDAIMEI! Why didn't you tell me the ranking kid was here!' yelled Gokudera as he charged in.

Octopus head has arrived...

'Yo!' That would be Yamamoto.

Gokudera asked Futa what rank he was for being Tsuna's right hand man and the results were...out of range.

Actually, out of the atmosphere.

Gokudera was petrified from shock when he heard that he was better suited to be a kindergarten teacher.

Sucks to be him...

Futa turned to me again and said,

'Kurogane-nee ranks #1 in most likely to a vampire in disguise. She is also ranked #1 in sweetest personality.'

'EHH?' said Tsuna as he backed away.

'Haha, that was unexpected.' said Yamamoto.

I wore a deadpan expression.

The last time I checked, I was perfectly human! Even though that was quite a long time ago...

Also, my personality isn't SWEET.

Was it raining? I heard when it rains, his rankings get messed up.

Bianchi came in and made Futa do love rankings for everyone.

Tsuna got Leon and that was when I knew, something was _definitely_ wrong.

I looked out the window.

It was pouring rain and...was that an army of umbrellas? How did I not notice earlier?

I slipped out of the room and exited out the back door.

Were these guys out to take Futa?

I guess I should take care of them but I can't take on that many and I'm only supposed to guard Tsuna, soooo...

I go to Plan B.

RUN LIKE HECK.

Besides, Gokudera can blast them with dynamite anyways...

I went back to my apartment and sighed.

There were giant booms from the river that told me the they had dealt with it.

What an eventful day...

* * *

><p>'Onni-san! Are you alright?' cried Tsuna as he charged through the door.<p>

We were visiting Ryohei after we heard he was attacked.

It was a shock that the extreme boxing maniac had lost a battle and was hospitalized.

Tsuna and Reborn talked with Ryohei while I was lost in thought.

So far, only people with combat abilities were attacked and all of them were from Namimori Middle.

Apparently, the culprits are from Kokuyo Middle.

But I was a trained medic and I knew no middle schooler did this.

The wounds were too great and they were all attacked too rapidly.

This was the work of a trained assassin.

There's only one person in town worth killing.

Sawada Tsunayoshi.

They were targeting him without a doubt.

His identity and specific whereabouts are unknown so whoever it was had no choice but to target people with good fighting prowess.

It was the only strategy they could use since mafia members are all under the Omerta.

I was assigned to guard him.

My parents had died protecting him and now it was my turn.

I refuse to fail and shame my family name.

Even if I die,** I will protect Sawada Tsunayoshi**.

This was _war._

Kokuyo Middle, here I come.

* * *

><p>I headed over to my apartment and got out my laptop to get some information on my opponents and find out their identities.<p>

Suddenly, there was a little 'Ping!' noise that meant I had received an email concerning mafia matters.

I quickly checked the message.

_Mei, recently there has been two jail breaks and the escaped convicts had headed to Japan._

_Be careful, they could be after Sawada Tsunayoshi._

_We sent you data and information concerning all six of them._

_They most likely joined forces and all of them are trained and dangerous._

_-Segretos_

Attached to the email were long articles concerning the convicts.

I narrowed my eyes.

This was getting interesting.

I went to our organization's website, typed in the password and then searched up anything that happened recently concerning the name Rokudo Mukuro in the town of Namimori, Japan.

Looks like he and two others had registered in Kokuyo Middle and they had taken over the school rapidly.

Apparently, his base is the abandoned Kokuyo Land on the side of the town.

Well, that was extremely helpful.

I was so glad our organization had such a detailed information network.

Now, I was going to follow Luke's advice and get some rest before setting out.

Tomorrow, the battle would begin.

_**~With Tsuna~**_

'_And why is Hayato being hospitalized here?' asked a pissed off Bianchi._

_Gokudera was attacked and currently resting in the school clinic._

_Tsuna was panicing outside the door and Reborn explained the situation to him._

_The Ninth had given him orders to capture Mukuro Rokudo and the other two escapees._

_Later, they went to Tsuna's house and the gang decided to take down Mukuro tomorrow._

_The same day as Mei._

* * *

><p>It was the crack of dawn and I had woken up early after a good night's rest.<p>

Today was the day of the battle.

Time to prepare.

I put on a little leather pouch that hung on the side of my waist and filled it with all the left over kunai and suriken.

Then I stuffed some bandages and ointments into it.

Something told me I'll need it.

I changed into short jeans, an oversized loose black T-shirt, and black combat boots.

My gloves were on and ready to go.

I fingered my necklace.

This time, I'll have to use it.

I jumped out the window and headed towards Kokuyo Land.

_**~With Tsuna~**_

_Tsuna was putting on his favorite clothes while Reborn told him that he couldn't interfere._

'_That's the worst rule ever!' Tsuna exclaimed._

'_And I can only use one dying will bullet since Leon makes them. In his current state, he can't make them.' added Reborn._

'_Really? I'm glad you can't shoot me but this isn't good!'_

'_You can't give up now. I called Mei and she hasn't answered. That's not like her at all. They might have done something to her. If you can't do it for yourself, do it for her.'_

'_What? Mei's in trouble? No way!' Tsuna exclaimed._

'_Yo, Tsuna.' Yamamoto showed up with tea and sushi while Bianchi got competitive over the food._

_Gokudera joined them later and they were on their way._

_**~Back to Mei~**_

As I neared Kokuyo Land, I decided I should keep my presence hidden until I'm discovered (Not very hard considering my presence is already severely lacking...)

I leapt over the gate and went through the woods nearby.

Strangely, it was all quiet and there wasn't a single sound.

I looked at the abandoned building. It was dark and gloomy but that wasn't what bothered me.

Something about the place just seemed…evil.

It was like a bloody murder happened here and there were ghosts haunting the place or something.

I slipped into the back of the building through a shattered window.

Were those _bloodstains_?

Just what the heck happened here?

I wondered around looking for a stair case or something to go upstairs.

This place was just _creepy_. I was on the other side of the building by now and I still didn't find anything that I can reach the top floor with.

I jumped when a fluffy little bird flew by flapping its wings cutely.

What was a cute little bird doing here?

'Hibari! Hibari!' it chirped.

WHAT? HIBARI?

I looked around rapidly. There was no sign of the bloody perfect so WTF was going on?

I thought I should investigate so I headed towards what felt like a human presence.

It made sense if Hibari was here.

After all, they were attacking Namimori Middle students and he must have come here to exterminate the Kokuyo students.

I came across a wall and could hear faint breathing on the other side.

There was definitely someone here! Going by the rhythm, they're either unconscious or asleep.

I touched the wall.

It was old and feeble so maybe I could break in.

I pounded on it hard and the bottom of it crumbled a bit to reveal a tiny gap.

Looks like that was the best I could do so I got down on my stomach and crawled through (Yes, I'm _that_ tiny).

'Holy…' I muttered as I lay eyes on the sight in front of me.

Hibari was unconscious and badly injured.

Blood was everywhere and the gap I came through wouldn't be enough for him to escape with. (Damn tall people...)

They must have beaten him and kept him here as a prisoner.

I stared, thunderstruck.

They defeated him and reduced him to this? How strong were these guys?

True, I never came at Hibari with actual killing intent but he was still stronger than me.

I inspected his wounds.

He had many broken bones and it was astounding that he was still alive.

I started applying ointments to his bruises and doing my best to fix his broken bones.

His arm was dislocated and the other was fractured.

This was going to hurt him a lot so it was good thing he was unconscious.

I took a deep breath and proceeded with the operation.

His arm snapped back in place and his eyes flickered open.

I was wrapping up his other arm and glanced at him for a second before continuing.

'How long have you been here?' I asked.

'…Two days.'

Wow, he actually replied.

'Rest a little bit and you'll recover. Help should come, soon.'

I inwardly sighed. If he was in better condition, he would have been a great ally.

To my surprise, he pulled himself into sitting position and then fell asleep or unconscious.

I didn't blame him.

The treatment was painful and the patient was likely to pass out afterwards.

I'm actually pretty surprised he was awake this long.

I crawled back through the little hole (IT WAS TINY. Like a cat door or something), and went back to looking for a way up.

_**~With Tsuna~**_

'_I'm quite glad that girl , M.M has been beaten.' said Birds._

'_Who are you?' asked Tsuna._

'_Now, calm down and look at this.' said Birds as he showed a screen with Kyoko and Haru._

'_You're friends are being targeted.'_

'_Kyoko-chan! Haru!'_

'_Who the hell are you? What are you planning?' yelled Gokudera._

'_My name is Birds. The images you see here are being transmitted by my dear little birdies.'_

'_What is that?' asked Tsuna._

'_What are those guys?' exclaimed Yamamoto._

'_Those are Twin hitmen , loyal to me._

_Birds began his demands and Tsuna and the gang dealt with him._

_**~Back to Mei~**_

I had reached a dead end and there, I finally found a ladder.

I was about to climb up when suddenly, something flew at me and nearly killed me.

The fuck?

I leaped back a couple feet and found myself face to face with a human/lion _thing_ that was glaring at me.

'Well, well. I thought Lancia had taken care of everyone, but it looks like a little mouse got away~' the thing said.

Who are you calling_ little mouse_? I can pwn your ass!

And it could talk? That's a shock.

I whipped out a kunai and threw it at him. He dodged, but his movements were a little sluggish.

It was hardly noticeable, but it seemed he was already injured.

Well, that makes my job a lot easier.

The _thing _pulled out its fangs and put in a different set (What the heck? That's beyond lame...)

'Kong Channel!' It said. Then, suddenly, it became bigger, hairier, and looked more gorilla-ish than lion-ish and a level more stupid then it already was.

Apparently, this _thing_'s ability was to take on characteristics of different animals.

Oh well, that doesn't matter. This move was gonna cost all my kunai and suriken, but I've got other resources.

Besides, this'll end it fast and I hate dirty beasts/human thingies that really need to _get a life_.

'Here I come!' it shouted. Why do people do that? Wouldn't surprise attacks be better? The idiotic-ness...

I moved over to a wall and waited.

It charged at me and at the last moment, I weaved past him and spun around rapidly to throw all my blades at once and pin him to the wall.

'Sorry, beasty, but I can't play with you right now.' I called.

Then I went up the stairs to floor number two.

_**~With Tsuna~**_

'_REBORN! Rokudo Mukuro, I'll defeat you with my dying will!'_

'_It's your last settle things with Rokudo Mukuro.' said Reborn._

'_You can't defeat me with some half-assed power.' said Lancia._

'_COME AT ME!'_

_And thus the battle between Tsuna and Lancia began._

_**~Back to Mei~**_

I scanned the area. Still no one.

So far, I've only encountered Hibari and the beast/human thing.

Where the heck was Rokudo Mukuro?

I entered another room and found a old bowling alley.

No one here either.

This was utterly strange.

Wasn't this their hideout?

I heard there were six escaped convicts altogether, but so far, I've only encountered one half human-ish thingie that was injured.

Wait…injured? Who injured it?

It couldn't have been Hibari since he was out cold, so who?

Was there someone else here before me, fighting the enemies first?

It was common sense to put your forces up front and not waaaaay back so if someone else was here and came through the front door, whoever they are would probably fight them first.

They would never expect that someone else had come in from behind.

If that was the case, I was definitely reassured by the fact that I have quite powerful back-up.

_**~With Tsuna~**_

_'I completely lost. I can see why Rokudo Mukuro is concerned with you.'_

_'Huh? What are you saying? Aren't you Rokudo Mukuro?'_

_'I'm a double.'_

_'But you were the one in the prison photo!'_

_Lancia told them of his past and about Rokudo Mukuro._

_'Vongola, you may be able to do it. Defeating him...Listen closely Vongola. Mukuro's real goal is to...'_

_Suddenly, Lancia pushed Tsuna away and was attacked by poison needles._

_'Hang in there!' yelled Tsuna._

_'They're trying to keep his mouth shut...' said Reborn._

_'No! Open your eyes!'_

**_~Back to Mei~_**

The second floor was empty so I proceeded to the third. (Major sense of Deja Vu...)

This time, the place seemed like it used to be a movie theater.

A torn curtain fluttered creepily and I was in extremely high tension mode so I nearly jumped out of my skin.

What is _up_ with this place?

Was it designed to creep people out? (Not that that's a bad tactic, but _still_.)

There was a rustle behind me and and I whipped around.

'Futa?' I whispered. What was he doing here? And why is he holding a blade?

'Futa, what are you-' He swung at me and I leaped back a couple feet.

WTF?

I looked at his eyes closely. They were dull and lifeless. Someone must be controlling him.

It can't be helped.

After all my training, taking down one little kid was nothing.

'Sorry, Futa, you'll have to sleep a little while.'

I got behind him and knocked him out with a hit to the throat.

Then I set his body next to the wall in sitting position and left him.

I'll come back for him after I'm done with business.

I made my way to the next room and immediately took out my necklace that turned into it's sword form.

'Kufufufu~Oya? It seems that there is someone else here. Why are you not with Tsunayoshi-kun and the others?' said a man with oddly shaped hair somehow resembling a pineapple (I know, freaky, right?)and a bright red eye with symbols in it.

Creepy. Very, very creepy.

Also, Tsuna and the others were here?

Well that explains why I didn't run into any opponents on my way up besides an already injured human/beast...

'Are you Mukuro Rokudo?' I asked.

'~Kufufu~ Why yes. You are girl assigned to protect Sawada Tsunayoshi. Just like your parents...'

I narrowed my eyes. How does he know about what happened to my parents?

I charged and slashed with my sword.

He dodged and whipped out a trident from nowhere.

'You and I are quite alike actually. Do you not hate the mafia for making you protect the very person who killed your family?' He asked while twirling his trident.

I scowled and and took a stance.

'Why do you know so much about my family?'

'Kufufu~ That's for me to know and you to find out.' He said. SCREW YOU.

He slammed the bottom and his trident to the ground and suddenly, it was shattered and the pieces started floating in a purplish light.

I gasped a little and nearly lost my footing.

What the heck? Were these illusions? Luke had told me that illusionists were the trickiest of all opponents.

When you encounter one, remember that everything is an illusion. The location and surroundings are still the same. You are just viewing it differently in your brain.

With this in mind, I leapt and came at him with swing from above.

He blocked it with his trident and attacked back.

'Kufufufu~ Why do you protect him? He's a brat who knows nothing of the pain true mafioso suffer.' He said as he made magma pits erupt.

I repeated to myself, this is an illusion, this is an illusion, THIS IS AN ILLUSION, DAMN IT.

Luke had told me that as long as you don't believe it, it can't take over your senses.

'It was assigned to me as my mission. That is all.'

Partial lie, but mostly true.

'Is that so? Are you sure you're not still bitter at him? Don't you think that he deserves to suffer the pain he put you through?' He said as he smirked and summoned vines.

WILL YOU STFU?

'That doesn't concern you!' I growled as I attacked yet again.

This time, the vines stopped me and they weren't illusions.

The symbol in his eye changed and suddenly, he attacked me with crushing speed and power.

I blocked it, but he came at me with a continuous stream of attacks and I could barely keep up.

'Kufufu~ A little girl like yourself shouldn't play with the big boys. You're no match for me.' He said.

Suddenly, he threw a punch at my stomach as he attacked with the trident in his other hand.

Crap! I can't block both of them!

He threw me against the wall and it shattered from the impact.

I gasped for breath as I stood up again, winded and in pain (LOTS of pain).

'Why don't you give up? Tsunayoshi-kun will be coming here soon and there's nothing you can do about it.'

Tsuna...Damn it, I swore to protect him even if I die!

I'm not gonna let this bastard kill the one my parents protected!

I have my pride!

With renewed determination, I went at him with a stream of attacks and put all my effort into it.

Unfortunately, the gap of strength between the two of us was too much and no divine being interfered to give me epic skills to turn the battle around.

I didn't even get a single scratch on him!

'Kufufu~Your resolve is admirable, but you cannot defeat me.'

Vines wrapped around my body and held me in the air (WHY ARE THEY LIKE TENTACLES? PERVERTED FREAK!)

I was bruised, covered in scratches, and probably had some broken bones.

My sword was held limply at my side, intertwined with vines. I couldn't get free no matter how hard I struggled.

Damn it!

What do I do? _What do I do?_

_**~With Tsuna~**_

_'Judaimei, leave him to me and go ahead.' said Gokudera._

_'Gokudera-kun...'_

_The gang split up and Tsuna, Bianchi, and Reborn went to the third floor._

_'Ah! Futa! He's unconcious!' Tsuna exclaimed._

_'He's not hurt, though.' said Bianchi._

_She went to him and shook him gently._

_Futa's eyes flickered open...and he grabbed the blade and stabbed Bianchi!_

_'Bianchi! Tsuna cried._

_'Futa! What are you doing!_

_Tsuna avoided Futa's attacks and stopped him, but in the process, Futa's mind crashed ._

_'This is Mukuro's doing.' said Reborn as he patched up Bianchi with a first aid kit that appeared out of nowhere. He must have brought it with him..._

_'What a horrible person! How could he do this to the innocent Futa!'_

_'Be on your guard. Mukuro is near.' said Reborn._

_They walked into the next room and saw..._

* * *

><p><strong>Cliffhanger!<strong>

**I just had to do one! :D**

**Poll will be closed after the next ch. so go to my profile and vote fast!**

**I hope Mukuro was in character.**

**R&R Please!**


	8. Then Tsuna Awakens And The Battle Ends

**And the winner is...**

**A tie between Hibari and Tsuna!**

**My original idea was a love triangle with #1 on top but since it's a tie...**

**I guess it'll have to be both of them.**

**There's a new poll on my profile for Varia Arc about whether Mei should be a guardian or something else.**

**Go and vote!**

**Now continuing where we left off...**

* * *

><p>Did I mention I hate the world? No? Well, I HATE THE WORLD.<p>

Things just went from bad to worse when the following happened.

'Mei!' cried Tsuna.

I whipped my head around to see Tsuna.

WHY? You just_ had_ to come when I'm helpless, huh?

'Oya? It seems that the Vongola Tenth has arrived.' said Mukuro while he kept me wrapped up in vines and looking the other way.

...Care to fuck off?

'Tsuna, run!' I yelled. I struggled twice as hard against the bounds that held me.

Yes! My blade was loose!

I hacked off the vines and ran to Tsuna's side.

'Mei, what are you doing here?' He asked.

'Attacking the enemy.' I said grimly. 'Stay back, he's after you.'

Suddenly, Mukuro attacked and I pushed Tsuna out of the way.

'Watch out!'

'_Slash!'_

'Argg!' I gasped and winced from the pain. This guy…What is he?

'Mei! What happened?' Tsuna cried.

'He was aiming for you, but struck Mei the split second after she pushed you out of the way.' said Reborn.

'As expected of an Arcobaleno. That's exactly right.'

I was on my knees and holding my side friggin' dying of pain.

The wounds from before combined with the deep cuts he made were too much. I could barely stand, let alone fight.

'Ah! The dying will flame on his eye!' exclaimed Tsuna.

'So you can see it. This power is the fourth path. A combat skill I learned from Path of Asura.'

What the heck is he talking about?

Mukuro explained his skills and I paled slightly.

If what he said was true, he really _was_ a monster.

'Now let me show you, my skills.'

The symbol changed and I recognized it. He tapped the bottom of the trident to the ground and it was cracked and floating in purplish light again.

I didn't fall for a trick like this twice, but Tsuna was a different case.

'Calm down, these are illusions.' I said.

'She's right, Baka-Tsuna.' said Reborn as he punched him.

Looks like that snapped him out of it.

'Oya? You saw through my illusion after encountering it once. That's quite surprising, little girl.'

Shut it, pineapple bastard! I'm not as weak as you think!

His eye changed and this time, the symbol was unfamiliar.

Suddenly, mega-sized poisonous snakes rained down on us.

This…This wasn't an illusion!

'Tsuna, those snakes are real!' I exclaimed.

This. Is. Bad.

'Eh? Argggghh!' Tsuna screamed.

Suddenly, a tonfa flew by followed by,'Judaimei! Please get down!' and flying dynamite.

I grabbed Tsuna and dove to the ground just as bombs exploded around us.

When the smoke cleared, I looked up to see…Hibari and Gokudera?

Hibari actually got out? Gokudera must have helped him (Thank you octopus head. Dynamites aren't that lame after all...)

'Hibari-san! Gokudera-kun!' cried Tsuna.

Reborn smirked and said,

'Do you understand now, Mukuro? I didn't raise only Tsuna.'

'I've repaid the debt.' said Hibari.

'Ow!' cried Gokudera as he hit the ground.

Sheesh, would it kill him to be a bit gentler?

'My, my there are a lot of spectators today. What is Chikusa doing?' said Mukuro.

'The glasses freak and the animal guy are taking a nap down stairs.' said Gokudera.

'I see…'

'Way to go, Gokudera-kun!' Tsuna exclaimed.

'It wasn't me…' said Gokudera gloomily.

'Have you prepared yourself?' said Hibari.

Yes! An extreme ally is here!...and why am I turning into Ryohei?

After a few words, Hibari and Mukuro went at it full power.

The battle was exhilarating. They exchanged blows rapidly and neither one gave an inch.

This was one of those times when I was so glad Hibari existed…

Suddenly, Hibari stopped.

What happened?

Sakura started blooming on the roof and I remembered with a sinking feeling that Hibari had Sakura-kura.

Wait…something was different…don't tell me…

Instead of falling, Hibari went forward and landed a heavy blow on Mukuro.

Yeah! Go Hibari! Perverted pineapple needs to die!

'Oh?' said Mukuro.

'Hehe, you weren't expecting this.' said Gokudera. ' I got medicine for Hibari from Shamal.'

With that, Hibari went in for the finishing blow and Mukuro was sent flying.

It was the most beautiful and moving sight I ever lay eyes on.

He didn't get up which meant it was finally over!

* * *

><p>'It's over! I can go home now!' said Tsuna.<p>

'But you were perfectly useless in the battle with Mukuro.' added Reborn.

Agreed, Reborn,_ agreed. _The fact that this unless little dummy here is the Tenth never ceases to amaze me.

'Leave me alone!' Tsuna retorted. Gladly. I have other issues to worry about.

I went over to Hibari and examined him.

Looks like his wounds were reopened.

'Hibari-san, are you alright!' Tsuna cried as he came over.

'He was fighting unconsciously during the end. He must have been really upset he lost before.' said Reborn.

Wow…This guy was amazing…

'Hibari-san…Oh yeah, we need to take everyone to the hospital!' said Tsuna.

Oh, right, I was gushing blood all over the place...

'Nothing to worry about. A very skilled Vongola medical team is on its way.'

That was good, since I had run out of bandages after treating Hibari back in that room.

'That team will be useless. Because there will be no survivors.'

I whirled around to see Mukuro holding a gun.

Oh, _shit._

I ran to Tsuna and stood in front of him with my arms extended and my body as a shield with Gokudera alongside me.

If he was gonna shoot, he's gonna have to shoot through me first.

And then Gokudera.

And then maybe Reborn.

And then, hopefully Tsuna has the brains to run for his life.

'Let's meet again. Arrivederci.'

Huh?

Instead of shooting Tsuna, shot himself in the head.

'He killed himself…' said Gokudera.

'Why did he do that?' said Tsuna.

I was on edge. Even though he shot himself, something felt VERY wrong.

There were chills going down my spine and it felt like there was a massive ball of killing intent in the room.

'You finally beat Mukuro.'

I turned around to see Bianchi.

'Sis.' said Gokudera.

'Will you give me a hand, Hayato?'

'Fine, I guess I don't have a choice.'

'Gokudera-kun, stay away!' said Tsuna.

He could feel it too? Looks like I'm not imagining things...

Bianchi suddenly whipped out the broken trident and scratched Gokudera like she was possessed or something.

'Why did you do that, sis?' exclaimed Gokudera.

'We meet again…'said Bianchi.

She turned to us to reveal an evil red eye.

Shoot!

'He's back!' cried Tsuna.

Don't tell me he used a special bullet!

The only thing that can do this is the possession bullet.

Alicia told me about it, but they were supposed to be nonexistent now! How the heck did he get his hands on one?

Suddenly, Bianchi collapsed and Mukuro's presence vanished.

I stood closer to Tsuna.

'Be careful. Mukuro's still out there. You can feel him, can't you?'

He nodded wordlessly.

This time, Gokudera nearly stabbed Tsuna and I stepped back a bit.

'So it wasn't a mistake. You're the first one to realize I've possessed someone at first glance.' said Mukuro/Gokudera.

And I don't count? Or was I just forgotten already?

'What's going on?' Tsuna exclaimed.

'You made it look like suicide but you used that bullet.' said Reborn.

Why yes he did, because why else are our friends behaving like creepy pineapple bastards?

Reborn explained to Tsuna what the Possession Bullet did and I watched wordlessly.

In the state I'm in, I can't do anything much (To be exact, I had some broken ribs, lots of cuts, bruises, and scrapes, injured arm, damaged leg, and various other problems).

Mukuro told us his goal and I wasn't exactly surprised at this point. Everything added up.

Mukuro/Gokudera threw the blade to Bianchi and Bianchi sctratched Hibari.

No way… Don't tell me…

Hibari charged and attacked Tsuna but fell again.

'Oh? This body isn't of much use.'

It seemed that if the body was too damaged, he wouldn't be able to use it which is definitely a plus for us fighting him seeing as Hibari would have been able to slaughter us all with the exception of Reborn.

Bianchi and Gokudera stood up.

Both of them had a red eye. He possessed both of them?

'That's not the end of it.' said Reborn.

The door opened to reveal two other guys who I assumed were Mukuro's comrades and among them was the guy I took down earlier.

Possessing four people at once? That's unheard of.

'That's not all.' said Mukuro/Gokudera.

He used Gokudera's double bomb while me and Tsuna ducked for cover.

He can use their moves as well?

Great.

This just keeps getting better, doesn't it?

There was a faint glow near Tsuna and red magma was beneath the floor, ready to burst and turn him into a pile of goo.

'Tsuna, besides you!' I called.

We were a few meters apart after dodging the dynamite and I had lugged myself out of the way just as Tsuna looked around stupidly.

'Ahhh!' He yelled as magma burst forth. Didn't I warn you?

'If possible, I'd like to take you without harming you.' said Mukuro/ animal guy.

Does this guy have any idea how _sick _he is?

Suddenly, I felt like someone was poking my brain with a finger (It was not very pleasant at ALL).

'Oya? It seems I can't possess you.' said Mukuro/Bianchi.

That's right; he scratched me up in battle before!

Looks like he can't possess me for some reason, but this is no time to wonder about the details.

If I can get wounded without getting possessed, I had the best chance of winning out of the remaining people.

Damn, I was gonna regret this later, but defeating Mukuro is first priority.

Painful, life-threatening after-effects can come later.

I dug into my pouch and ate some of the ointment. It was bitter as hell, but it was our custom made medicine.

If it was eaten in a large quantity, it would kill all pain for 15 minutes and enable the user to move no matter how grave the wounds.

As an after-effect, when the time was up, all the pain will start to return, doubled. Which is really bad.

But in the heat of a life and death struggle, that thought didn't exactly come to mind.

I felt the pain fading and I stood up and grabbed my blade tightly.

'Tsuna, stand back.' I said.

'Mei! Your wounds!' Tsuna cried, staring at the blood oozing all over my clothes.

'I'll be fine.'

No.

I most definitely won't be, but that's none of your business.

'Oya, oya. Seems like the little girl still has some strength left in her.' said Mukuro/animal guy.

Ignoring the mocking statement, I went forwards and slashed with my blade and then flipped in the air to avoid needles.

It was gonna be a tough battle, 4 on 1, but I had to stop them. There was no way Tsuna was going to attack his own friends.

It was all up to me.

* * *

><p>I lunged at Ken and we exchanged blows for a while.<p>

Then I leaped back to dodge Gokudera's dynamite and spun to avoid Chikusa's needles that embedded themselves in the area where I was standing seconds ago.

'Tsuna, do something quickly or else Mei's gonna lose.' said Reborn as though HE couldn't lift a finger (then again, he might no be able to. Who knows.).

'Don't be unreasonable! This is way beyond what I can handle!' Tsuna cried as he avoided some stray dynamite.

'If you're my student, you can handle this.'

'It's unfair to use unreasonable logic like that!'

'You're teacher is panicking. He's falling into chaos over his student's crisis.' said Mukuro/Bianchi as they attacked Reborn with poison cooking.

Well isn't it _wonderful _that you're having a causal conversation while I fight for _our _lives?

I fended off deadly poisonous needles aimed for 'the Tenth' and told him to keep his guard up while Reborn continued with his 'casual conversation.'

'Your bro, Dino, overcame this too.' said Reborn.

Pardon this interruption, but no one cares since we're _about to frigging die_ so would you please shut up and start fighting?

'Dino-san?' Tsuna quizzically said.

...Am I the only one who fully comprehends that we're surrounded by puppets trying to kill us and now wasn't the time for chatter?

'When Dino was my student, he faced a life-or-death situation. He overcame it and transformed himself. No longer the Weakling Dino but the Bucking Bronco Dino.' said Reborn, innocently unaware of my thoughts.

I should go learn how to express myself better or get lessons on tele-communication for situations like these.

'Above you!' I called to Tsuna.

'Ah!' He cried as he was blown away by the explosions.

'You shouldn't be looking away.' said Mukuro/Needle Dude.

He sent a wave a needles at me and I deflected them with my blade for the umpteenth time, but then he charged in Tsuna's direction.

'Tsuna!' I cried.

Suddenly, the guy collapsed and the trident went over to Animal Guy.

I blanched and then turned to the other copies.

'What? It happens sometimes. Even if I take over someone's body, if the body breaks, there's nothing I can do.' said Mukuro/Animal Guy.

What a cold-blooded freak...And that's coming from _me._

I tried to reach Tsuna but Mukuro/Gokudera blocked my way and threw dynamite.

'I can't have you interfering, little girl.'

Damn.

I had to leap back the other direction to avoid the bombs that would've killed me otherwise.

Smoke blocked my vision and I couldn't see what was going on.

Suddenly, a green light cleared the smoke and there were glowing threads everywhere.

I looked up to see Leon on the ceiling and glanced at Reborn curiously since he's, like, always the one pulling the strings when something weird happens?

Maybe he was helping Tsuna indirectly.

'He's finally emerged.' said Reborn. Answers. FINALLY.

'Emerged?' said Tsuna.

Reborn told about when the same happened with Dino and that was how he got his whip and Enzio.

But wait...Doesn't that make Enzio Leon's baby? Argggg! Now isn't the time!

If Tsuna receives a weapon or something, that might be able to turn the tide and save our lives.

However Mukuro cut apart Leon and lizard guts spattered all over the place.

Surprisingly, Leon was fine. (It _is _the partner of a hitman afterall...)

In the air was...Mittens? How are MITTENS going to help?

Tsuna caught them and took out a bullet from the inside that was maybe, just _maybe, _a special bullet.

Just what we need.

'Hand it over, Tsuna.' said Reborn

'You are amusing to no end.' said Mukuro/Animal Dude as he headed over to Tsuna and swung the trident downwards.

I sprinted over and blocked his attack.

'Mei!' Tsuna cried.

I ignored Tsuna and proceeded to attack Mukuro/Animal Dude and held him off to let Reborn handle things since...Uh...

Student about to die + Hitman tutor who uses guns + Special bullet hidden in weapon = Reborn's territory.

Sure enough, Reborn did some flips and grabbed the bullet.

'I've never seen this bullet before. We'll just have to give it a try.'

'EH?' said Tsuna

'I won't let you!' said Mukuro/Gokudera as he threw dynamite over.

'Tsuna!' I cried. The bombs had hit him and Reborn was silent.

'Now, let me take your near-dead body away from you.' said Mukuro/Needle Guy while he walked over to Tsuna holding the trident.

I ran over and stood above Tsuna's unconscious body.

'Oh? Little girl, I hate to break it to you, but you can't protect him anymore. Why don't you just give it up?'

In response, I glared at him and held my ground.

'Mukuro...If I don't defeat you, I can't die in peace!' said Tsuna.

I turned my head and stared. He was still conscious? And did his voice just get deeper?

A dying will flame was on his head and the mittens had turned into metal gloves.

Mukuro/ Needle Guy leaped back and said,

'That aura...I see. The special bullet _did_ hit you, though the flame seems calmer than before.'

'Mei, stand back. You've done enough for me. It's my turn to return the favor.' said Tsuna.

I was shocked by his sudden change in attitude, but I lowered my blade and backed up to the wall where Reborn was.

He looked my expression and explained.

'The Rebuke bullet draws out Tsuna's calm fighting spirit. It's completely different from the dying will bullet. A bullet with a brand new power.'

I watched as Tsuna fended off all four Mukuros with seemly no effort and removed Mukuro from his friend's bodies.

He was at a whole new level.

Stronger than me and maybe even Hibari.

'Take care of them, Reborn.' He said.

'Alright, no need to be so bossy.' said Reborn as he went over to the fallen forms of Gokudera and Bianchi.

What on earth had happened? Was this his true un-awakened power all along?

'This is the effect of the Rebuke bullet.' Reborn explained.

How does he know this stuff? And would he please stop reading my mind? It's an invasion of personal space.

'The 'Blood of Vongola' inside him has awakened. Instead of removing external limiters like the DW bullets, it removes all internal limiters and a persons hidden awareness is awakened. Meaning, this power only appears when one is succeeding the Vongola bloodline. Hyper Intuition.'

That explained why he could suddenly see through illusions.

'Come on out, Mukuro. You're alive aren't you?' said Tsuna.

'Kufufu~I will acknowledge that your fighting skills increased greatly. However, I can't have you becoming elated just because of that.' said Mukuro as he came out in his own body.

Suddenly, I felt gradually increasing pain in my body.

Oh right.

Looks like 15 minutes had passed and the pain was starting to return. Doubled.

I fell to the ground on my knees and dropped my blade with a dull _'Clang!'_

Reborn came over and said,

'Oi, are you alright?'

'Side-affects...of...medicine used...to enable movement.' I managed to get out.

The _pain._

My wounds started bleeding again and blood dripped around me (I'm surprised I still have blood in my body. I'm pretty sure I was bleeding for the past ten minutes non-stop.) to the point where I looked like a torn up doll tossed aside.

The way my limbs were bent didn't help the image seeing as I'm sure I broke a few bones.

Reborn's eyes widened a bit and he immediately got out the first aid kit.

'Your wounds are fatal. You shouldn't even be conscious let alone able to fight.' He said as he worked on my deepest wounds.

You care? Wow.

So even sadistic baby hitmen have feelings.

While Reborn patched up my wounds, I observed the battle while wincing in pain.

I watched as Tsuna fought with flaming gloves against Mukuro's dark murderous aura.

While dueling like demons, they were talking in low voices and I couldn't make out anything, but Tsuna suddenly seemed to be slightly pissed for some reason.

Just a bit. (His face twitched. That's how I could tell.)

Tsuna had many close calls but he survived all of them and they seemed to be on even grounds.

'What a happy miscalculation on my part.' said Mukuro.

He then told us of his plan and to be perfectly honest, I was horrified.

A World War 3? Is he _crazy?_ (Probably was) Why the heck would he do such a thing?

They went at it again and I felt so helpless and weak watching them.

In the end, Tsuna won and Mukuro was out cold after Tsuna blew away his dark aura and slammed him into the ground.

'It's over...' said Reborn.

'Yeah.' said Tsuna as his dying will flame faded.

Wow, you were so epic. How I wish you were like that all the time...

'Everyone's hurt!' He exclaimed.

Indeed they are...Especially myself.

I think I'm dizzy from blood-loss...

'Nothing to worry about. The medical team has arrived.' said Reborn.

'Thank goodness...'

That was a relief...the pain was overwhelming and I was numb by now.

'Don't go near him, byon!' I turned my head a bit to see Mukuro's comrades.

They told the story of their past and I could relate.

It sort of made up for Mukuro's overwhelming evilness but there was nothing we could do about it.

Nothing we could do as Vindince made their way here and dragged them off in chains.

Did one of them look at me?

Nah...I must be getting delirious from the pain...

The battle was over so it can't hurt to take a little nap, right?

* * *

><p><strong><em>~ 2 Weeks Later~<em>**

'Mei, are you awake?' Tsuna asked.

I was hospitalized and sitting up on a bed wrapped in tons of bandages and waayy paler than usual (now _that's_ saying something).

'Oh, I'm fine.' I replied.

Out of the entire gang, I was the most injured from battling Mukuro before they arrived, battling Mukuro after they arrived, taking a direct hit by Mukuro for Tsuna, feeling the after-effects of the ointment/medicine, and not to mention leaving a big pool of blood on the floor before the medical team picked up my remains and brought me to the hospital.

'Ahaha! Good to see you!' said Yamamoto.

Good to see you too, baseball nut.

'Tch. Just this once...' said Gokudera.

Tsundere as usual...

Reborn just smiled his Reborn smile and said,'Good to see you're recovering.'

I grinned faintly.

'I'll be able to leave in a week.' I said.

'Really? That's great! We can all go to the baseball game together!' said Tsuna.

'Ahaha! You don't have to if you're not feeling well!' said Yamamoto.

I smiled and they brought out presents and we got engaged in a cheerful conversation until they left.

There was a little tap on my window and I reached out and opened it with one hand.

A familiar looking yellow bird flew in flapping it's wings energetically.

'Hibari! Hibari! Mail! Mail!' It chirped.

It seemed that Hibari tamed the bird after the battle took it in as his official pet.

In it's beak was a letter that was dropped on my lap. Then it flew out again.

I read the letter. It contained one sentence.

_I will repay the debt someday._

I smiled.

So typical of Hibari.

But it was nice to know.

For the first time in years, I felt...warm. Almost touched.

_Almost._

But, unbeknownst to me,the cold block of ice that was my heart was melting, slowly, but surely.

* * *

><p><strong>Kokuyo Arc ends!<strong>

**Happy-ish Ending!**

**What Mukuro said to piss off Tsuna a bit will be revealed in later chapters. (Like during Future Arc. You'll see why.)**

**Don't forget to vote about whether Mei should be a guardian or not on my profile!**

**Thanks for reading and please review :)**


	9. It Was All Fun and Games

**So far, for the Varia Arc, the position of External Advisor is winning.**

**Guardian is second place by one vote and bystander is third.**

**The poll will be open until Varia Arc starts.**

**Thanks for all the Reviews, Favs, and Alerts.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>'I'm amazed that you brought us to a sushi restaurant.' said Tsuna as he ate some sushi.<p>

'It's to celebrate defeating Mukuro.'

We were all at the sushi place and truth to be told, I was surprised since Reborn's never 'nice' in any way.

Haru and Bianchi came with us and the food we ordered was quite expensive (like really, really expensive).

'Thanks for inviting me!' said Haru.

They chatted and I ate my sushi quietly in the corner like the antisocial freak I was.

The way Reborn was acting seriously creeped me out. Since when did he _compliment_ Tsuna?

Something is definitely up…

'Is it okay to eat all this stuff?' Tsuna asked.

'What do you mean?' said Reborn.

'I mean exactly what I said…'

'Thanks for the food!' said Bianchi as she ran off.

'That was delicious!' and there goes Reborn.

Hit and run, huh?

Lambo followed and soon Tsuna realized what was going on (delayed reaction maybe?)

He attempted to leave as well, but was caught along with Haru.

Me being the good girl I was, I didn't try to run. Besides, I'm a billionaire.

I can deal with this...

They started begging for forgiveness, but then Yamamoto's dad came out.

I thought something was familiar about this place…

The meal was on the house, but then Reborn, Bianchi, and Lambo showed up and ate a ton of super expensive stuff AGAIN.

'How do I pay for this? What do I do?' exclaimed Tsuna.

I should probably pay but...It's fun watching them suffer so...

'Since they don't have the money to pay, why don't we work here for a while?' I suggested.

Hey, it's better than going to jail, right?

'Yep, that's a good idea.'

I turned to see Reborn dressed like a hunter with a beard.

How come Tsuna and I are the only ones able to see through his (poor)disguises?

We went to the back and got to work.

Tsuna did the dishes, Yamamoto and Haru packed the sushi, and me, well…

_**~Flashback~**_

'You can make sushi?' said Yamamoto's dad.

Yes I can.

Unfortunately.

The skill came to me due to Spartan mafia tutors.

'Yeah. Here, I made this with some leftover ingredients lying around.'

I handed him a small tray of sushi.

I had been forced to learn how to cook from Matt since he said it's perfectly natural for a Mafioso to be able to cook.

Do _not_ get me started on Italian food. (I swear, he went _totally_ overboard teaching me that stuff!)

If I ever need a alternative job, I can be a high class chef in Italy any time.

Why do I know how to make sushi?

It was Japanese.

Trust me, after staring at pasta, pasta, and MORE pasta, some spaghetti, and various other Italian foods, you will yearn for something different.

At this point, I can't taste the difference between them anyways...

'Hmmm…this is pretty fine! You're hired!'

And that was how I winded up being the chef.

I only knew how to make the simple stuff, though. I'm not good enough to do the fancy ones...yet.

Maybe I should get lessons...

_**~Back to Present~**_

'I never knew you could cook, Mei.' said Tsuna as he washed the dishes.

'I didn't know I could either until last year…'

We were all quite busy and Yamamoto was helping out even though it was his house.

'I won't let you take all the good roles!'

Gokudera barged in and declared that he will help.

Unfortunately, he created more trouble rather than help. Tsuna's debt went up by 100 orders when Gokudera ruined the salmon…

In the end, he caused more debt and left when Bianchi came in.

'It's too early to give up. Let's see if we could do something with the rest.' said Bianchi.

Wait…Bianchi + Kitchen + Ingredients = Poison Cooking

This is gonna go _real_ well, isn't it?

'No Poison Cooking! Don't do anything unnecessary! ' said Tsuna.

'Don't worry. Being able to live with my beloved Reborn…it changed me.'

...I'm sure it did.

'Changed?' said Tsuna, sweatdropping.

She got to work and there were weird sounds, glowing, and booms.

She finished rapidly and placed a tray of perfect, glowing sushi on the table that didn't emit weird smoke.

'This is…what a brilliance!' said Yamamoto's dad.

Everyone gathered around the table and stared.

Yamamoto's dad took one and ate it. 'No, you're not prepared!' exclaimed Tsuna.

'DELICIOUS!' cried Yamamoto's dad.

'Let me try too.' said the other chef.

He started crying tears of joy and exclaimed,

'I've never had anything like this! This is an incredibly joyous moment!'

Everyone tried some and nothing happened to them.

Should I? I glanced at Reborn. He wasn't so I wasn't either.

'The customers will be really pleased with this! If you make 100 servings of this I'll consider the debt paid!'

'Really?'

'I told you.' said Bianchi.

'Bianchi, help Tsuna out.' said Reborn.

'All right.'

'Thank you Bianchi!' Tsuna exclaimed.

Suspicious...Doesn't Reborn usually just let Tsuna suffer?

* * *

><p>'That's 100 orders. All that's left is the delivery. Now we're even. I bet you're happy' said Yamamoto's dad.<p>

'Thank you very much!' said Tsuna.

Suddenly, everyone collapsed while holding their stomach.

I thought so...poisoned sushi.

I gave Reborn a deadpan expression.

'You knew this would happen, didn't you?'

'We'll can it Poison cooking, Three Hour Crash.' said Reborn.

'Are you ignoring me?' I asked.

No response. I'll take that as a yes.

'Oh my~' said Bianchi.

'What's that supposed to mean!' yelled Tsuna. 'Arggggg…'

_**~After Everyone Recovered~**_

'I'll pay for the sushi.' I said.

'Mei, you don't have to!' Tsuna exclaimed.

Actually, I sorta stood by and watched you suffer so I owe you one...But you don't need to know that.

'Oi, young lady, this is no cheap deal.' said Yamamoto's dad.

'I want to.' I slid my credit card down the cash register and paid for it all.

There are perks to being a billionaire, you know.

I guess I should have done this from the start...But it's too fun to watch.

'Mei! Thank you so much!' said Tsuna.

'No problem.'

* * *

><p><em><strong>~At School~<strong>_

'Kurogane-chan, can I ask a favor?' said Kyoko.

I looked up from the book I was reading.

'Sure.'

'My brother wants me to go talk to Tsuna-kun about something important next Sunday. Can you come with me? I thought I'd bring a friend since it's my first time going.'

Something important? I guess it can't hurt to see what's going on.

'Okay.'

'Great! I'll go tell Tsuna-kun!'

_**~Tsuna's Pov~**_

'Tsuna-kun!'

'Eh?' I turned around to see Kyoko coming my way.

'What is it?'

'Would you mind if me and Kurogane-chan came over next Sunday?'

'Eh? At my house?'

'Mmhm. We have something important to talk about.'

'Something important?'

_**~End Pov~**_

'_Dingdong!'_

We rang the doorbell at Tsuna's house.

'Tsuna-kun! Good morning!' called Kyoko.

Reborn opened the door for us and that was my first clue that something was going on.

'Ciaossu. Thanks for coming.'

'Hello!' said Kyoko.

'Good morning, Reborn.' I said.

'Come in.'

'Hai! Sorry to intrude!'

We took off our shoes and made our way to Tsuna's room.

'Tsuna-kun!' she called as she walked in.

I was pretty surprised that everyone was here. And what's with the tense expressions?

'Hey, Sasagawa, Kurogane!' said Yamamoto. Hmmmm…not as cheerful as usual.

'Kyo-Kyoko-chan, Kurogane-chan, you both look well today!' said Haru. Stuttering…

'Welcome!' said Tsuna. Sweating like crazy...

Gokudera was reading a book and NOT going into vampire-fascination mode which signified _something_.

We sat down on the cushions and their expressions were seriously creeping me out.

Especially Gokudera.

His face looked sorta contorted and evil-ish (really, I swear it had a blueish tint!)

'Thanks Tsuna-kun!' said Kyoko.

I just looked on blankly and observed closely.

Tsuna and the group whispered with each other and I was too far away to hear.

What the heck is going on?

Suddenly, Tsuna and the others made a face as if there were deformed zombies with rabies behind us.

'What the matter everyone?' said Kyoko.

Yes, exactly what I'm thinking.

Kyoko and I were about to turn around, but Lambo and Ipin jumped in from the window and distracted us by leaping around and chasing each other.

Ipin explained that Lambo lost the tickets to the zoo.

I blinked and then I looked back behind me and saw…a corpse.

Did Sawada finally kill someone? Poor soul…Wait, I recognize that face. This guy was…

Reborn winked at me from the window. Ah, one of his pranks.

You've really outdone yourself this time around…

I smirked a little.

Kyoko finally noticed the _seemly_ dead guy and said,

'Huh?'

'Hahi! That's a prop mannequin for the culture festival 'I'm Dead-kun'!' said Haru.

Buddy, no one's gonna buy such a ridiculous story.

'I'm Dead-kun?' Kyoko said.

Tsuna and Haru started whispering and now that I knew what was going on, why not add oil to the fire?

It's good for entertainment…

'It looks a bit too real to be a mannequin. The expression seems like one of someone who was killed recently and so does the body.' I said.

'Hahi! Well, it's themed for a murder case that happened in the middle of the night!' said Haru.

Pffftt…Nice. _Real _nice.

'Wow, as expected of Midori Middle!' said Yamamoto.

'What sort of Cultural Festival has a hearse outfit.' said the oh-so-negative Gokudera.

'Cultural Festival?' said Kyoko, blinking innocently. Hey I should act as well…

'Ehhhh…' I murmured, copying Kyoko's I'm-an-innocent-little-flower blinking strategy.

'Oh!' she exclaimed. SHE ACTUALLY BOUGHT IT?

'So what was the important thing you two wanted to talk about?' said Tsuna.

'Kyoko wanted me to accompany her since this is her first time to your house.' I said bluntly.

'Eh?' said Tsuna.

What? Did he really think I had 'something important' to talk about?

'Oh yeah, I had a favor to ask you.' said Kyoko.

'A favor?'

'Yeah, I'd like you to-'

'SAWADA, JOIN THE BOXING CLUB!' Guess who.

'Onni-chan! I told you to wait at home!' Kyoko exclaimed.

'Yeah, but Sawada is the only one extreme enough to succeed me! When I think of it, I can't sit still! I ran all the way here after running around the town three times!'

Wow…He must have a lot of stamina…

The doorbell rang and a delivery came.

I could practically see Tsuna thinking,

'What do I do? I can't leave them here in a room with a corpse.'

He's like an open book.

Kyoko went and got the package so I was the only one left.

Hmm…Since she's not here, might as well see their reactions.

'Tsuna, I know what happened.' …ish. I really don't know, but I'm pretty sure it's just Reborn and his usual pranks.

'EHH?' He exclaimed.

'Don't worry, I won't tell anyone.' I said as I yawned a little. 'By the way, beware of bombs.' I added as I spied Lambo coming in through the window while playing tag with Ipin.

'Come get me!'

'Wait, Lambo!'

'Lambo-san's counter attack!' Lambo turned around and threw a grenade and I went in to the closet and closed the door.

When I opened it and stuck my head out, everyone was coughing and recovering from the bomb.

'Hey, the corpse is gone.' I said as I came out of the closet and took a seat on a cushion.

'HAHI!'

'WHAT?' chorused the gang.

'The explosion earlier must have done it.' said Reborn.

'Mei! Help look for it!'

I pointed out the window.

'Over there!' said Yamamoto, looking at a moving truck.

'Well, done, Yamamoto. Your eyes are trained from baseball.'

They all went out the door and Kyoko came back in.

'What happened?' she asked as she sat back down on the other cushion.

'Something urgent came up.' I said. It was sorta the truth, I guess. 'They'll be back sometime.'

'I see…' she replied.

We both sat there bored as heck (At least _I_ was) listening to screams and explosions in the distance.

The day afterwards, on my way to my apartment, I saw a gaping hole on a bridge, several mini-craters, and an extremely beat up mail truck.

It doesn't take a genius to figure out what happened.

* * *

><p>I was just lying on my bed, reading a book when suddenly, something flew into my opened window.<p>

I leapt, ducked for cover and when a bomb didn't blow, I got up and took a good look at what had shattered the peace and tranquility of my home.

It was a simple letter that said,

_Mei, you're going on the cruise to Mafia Land._

_Everyone will be there and here is your ticket._

_Show up and enjoy Mafia Land._

_-Reborn_

_P.S. This is just an __**invitation**__, but I highly recommend you show up __**or else.**_

I sweatdropped.

This was obviously NOT going to be an enjoyable trip to Mafia Land.

Oh well, better go or who knows what'll happen…

Besides, the ship is pretty nice and I can lock myself in my room so it won't be totally hectic, right?

_**~On the Ship~**_

I walked down a random hallway and was at the door of my room when I came across…Tsuna and the gang charging at me full speed.

'_Slam!'_ Epic collision!

'Owowow...' said Tsuna.

I sat on the floor and blinked the stars out of my eyes.

'Ah, sorry Mei! You're here too?' said Tsuna as he got up.

Strange, since when did he recover faster than me?

Or was I just that harmless? (I hate my size. I HATE IT. When things collide, the smaller thing gets more damage. Damn you, universe. Why must you hate me?)

I just got up and dusted myself off as if I was not just nearly run over by a dim-witted little twit called Sawada Tsunayoshi.

'It's alright.'

That friggin' hurt!

'We're looking for Reborn, Bianchi and the kids. Wanna help?' said Yamamoto.

No, I don't.

'Sure.' I responded. 'I'll go that way.'

They split up and…I turned around, went straight into my room, locked the door, and swore to never come out until we reached our destination.

What? There's room service, isn't there?

Plus, we'll arrive in a few hours so I just need to survive from madness and chaos until then.

I laid on my bed and listened to the sounds of yells somewhere far away.

These guys…What the heck were they _doing_ out there? This ship better not sink...

Suddenly, there were noises right outside my door and my paranoia just wouldn't let me ignore it.

I exited the door and came across a painting. Don't tell me…

'Mei! Did you find Reborn?' Tsuna called as he and the gang plus Gokudera _just so happen_ to come by and turn a corner and see me.

Since when was Gokudera here? And why do I keep running into them the moment I set foot outside my front door?

'Um…He might be camouflaged in something so I thought I'd check this painting.' I said as I pointed to a picture of a girl nearby.

Actually, I was hiding in my room the whole time not giving a crap about what happens to you, but you really don't need to know that.

That excuse was totally random, but they actually believed me and Tsuna started staring at it closely.

'Good job, you two, seeing through my disguise like that.' Reborn popped out of the tree in the painting and I deadpanned.

I was _right?_

And he was the reason there were weird noises outside my door?

'Ciao!' He came out of the tree and started talking with Tsuna.

Gokudera started ranting about Tsuna's awesome-ness and I heard the sound of footsteps.

I went back into my room and eavesdropped on the conversation outside (I'm such a good friend, aren't I?)

'Umm…We have an explanation…' Tsuna's voice said.

It sounded like they were surrounded.

'It really is Reborn-san!'

'Eh?'

The men were actually Mafioso and they were just here to see Reborn.

Turns out that he had tickets for everyone and was just doing this for fun.

Typical of him.

'Oi, Mei, you should come out and have some family bonding.' said Reborn.

I hate bonding in any ways.

Also, how'd he know I was in the room next to them? I'm pretty sure I left while their backs were turned.

I opened the door and came out.

Everyone went to the front deck and Mafia Land came in sight.

I noticed that Reborn's pacifier was glowing.

Craaaaap.

_More_ Arcobaleno.

I wonder which one it is this time…

* * *

><p>'Wow, how wonderful! Just what you'd expect from a luxurious resort!' said Nana.<p>

We had arrived at Mafia Land and surprisingly, it was quite nice (On the surface. You never know the secrets of the universe...)

There were roller coasters, beaches, and all sorts of other stuff.

Futa was telling us the ranks of things and Lambo and Ipin ran off to go play.

Tsuna tried to protest but Haru and the kids already left.

I looked down by my side and saw Gokudera on his knees looking blue due to the fact that Bianchi was right next to him.

Well, we're at an resort so nothing_ too_ bad can happen, right?

A group of reporters came and tried to interview Reborn...but failed.

Bianchi took care of Gokudera (more like purposely tortured him) and Haru and the kids came back to tell us about the beautiful beach nearby.

Do I give a crap?

No, I don't.

'Tsuna, you can't go yet.' said Reborn.

'Huh?'

'You have to go through the entrance exam.'

'Wha? What's that?' He exclaimed.

It's exactly what it sounds like, dummy.

'You must go to the reception office and inform them of your arrival. You're our representative.'

'What? Don't just make me your representative!'

'But I think you're our leader.' said Yamamoto.

'We'll play here so go on ahead.' added Nana.

'I'll go with you.' I offered. This guy'll need all the help he can get...

'I guess I'll go...' Tsuna finally submitted.

* * *

><p>'Next person, please.'<p>

'Sawada Tsunayoshi, of the Vongola Family...'

'Do you have an nomination or an invitation?'

'No.'

'In that case, we need to give you an mafia examination.'

'Eh?'

'This way please. Your companion will be tested as well.'

She took Tsuna to a room and told me to wait a bit.

I hope Tsuna does alright...Oh, who am I kidding, he's gonna fail for sure!

When she came back out, Tsuna wasn't with her.

Oh dear...

She lead me into the room and said,

'For your test, please bribe this man with connections to the government properly.' as she handed me a stack of money.

That's it?

Easy.

I went up to him and said, 'Please accept this bribe.' and presented the money to him as I would a casual present and bowed a little.

What? It's the way things work.

The Mafia world is blunt. Deal with it.

The woman nodded and said 'You passed, but your companion didn't.'

'What happened to him?'

'He went to under mafia land! Feel free to follow him by taking the train you'll find if you walk out that door!' she said as she pointed to a door on the side of the room.

Poor Tsuna...

I had to make sure he doesn't get into too much trouble so I took the subway down to Under Mafia Land.

* * *

><p>The subway door opened and I saw...the epic fight of two babies and Tsuna going into panic mode.<p>

I walked out and the door closed behind me.

'Hey, Tsuna.' I said.

'Mei! Did you fail too?'

'No, I decided to come here on my own free will. More importantly, why are the two of them fighting?' I asked as we watched their battle.

'I think Reborn knows him!' said Tsuna.

The duel of babies ended when Reborn nailed the other dude in the head.

'He's Collonello, and he's in charge of Under Mafia Land.' said Reborn as if nothing happened.

'You killed him!' Tsuna exclaimed.

'We're made of different stuff, kora.' said Collonello. As expected of an Arcobaleno.

Reborn and Collonello got into an argument and started smashing each others heads.

'Tsuna, my student, is going to train here.' said Reborn after their little match was over.

There was smoke coming out of their foreheads.

'Huh? What do you mean, train?' said Tsuna.

Reborn explained the rules of the place and introduced Collonello as a former member of the COMSUBIN.

'This baby was in the military?' cried Tsuna.

'And who's the one behind him, kora?' said Collonello.

'That's Mei. She's a member of the unofficial Segreto Family that I managed to recruit into Vongola Tenth's Family.' said Reborn.

Recruited? More like blackmailed...

'I see, kora. Did you fail the test too?'

'I came on my own free will and because it's my duty.'

'As expected of a Segreto. Well, don't worry the Tenth is in good hands, kora.'

I nodded and then he turned to Tsuna.

'Well, if your Reborn's student, it's no wonder you didn't pass. But don't worry, I'll train you properly so you'll pass the re-examination.'

Reborn and Collonello started completing with punishment methods and Tsuna was the victim. After their fight, they kicked him into the whirlpool and told him to swim up.

Then he avoided numerous traps such as falling boulders and snake pits and got beat up by both Collonello and Reborn.

Looks like all Arcobaleno are super spartan in teaching methods...

'Judaimei!'

'Tsuna!'

The subway came again and this time, Yamamoto and Gokudera came out.

They came over and talked but suddenly, an alarm went off going 'Enemy Attack! Enemy Attack! Everyone please evacuate to shelters!'

Really, at a time like this?

Tsuna panicked, Yamamoto was clueless, and Gokudera actually knew what was going on.

I sighed and got out my cell phone for a satellite view of the area.(it's a custom made Mafia cell)

Looks like the Calcassa Family came with a ton of ships..

Reborn told Tsuna what was happening and then his pacifier along with Collonello's started glowing.

...Wait, that must mean...MORE Arcobaleno.

_You have got to be kidding me._

Reborn and Collonello fell asleep and didn't look concerned at all so I wasn't too worried.

Tsuna and the others went off on the subway and I stayed behind.

There were explosions and screams in the distance but by now, I was used to stuff like that.

Reborn and Collonello's little sleep bubbles popped and they woke up.

'I'm gonna go deal with my lacky.' said Reborn.

Lacky? Probably the Arcobaleno. I heard that the weakest one was like the others' lacky and not very powerful so I was no longer concerned about the attack.

'Oi, Segreto, I'm gonna go take down their ships, kora.'

Collonello flew up with his pet falcon into the direction of the sea and I watched from the cliff as he took down all the ships with one bullet each.

In the distance, I thought I saw a large octopus being taken down.

Arcobaleno...Are freakishly strong.

And that was the end of our absolutely _wonderful_ vacation at Mafia Land.

* * *

><p>I took a deep breath.<p>

At the moment, I was standing before the door of the reception room mentally preparing myself for what lay ahead.

Why?

I was about to commit suicide…Okay, not _real _suicide, but close enough.

You remember that letter Hibari sent me?

Well, I was gonna take him up on his offer.

I opened the door and saw Hibari sitting on the desk doing paper work with Hibird on his shoulder.

This was the moment I give myself up to unspoken doom…

'Hibari-san, you said that you wanted to repay your debt, right? I have a favor to ask.'

'I see…What is it?'

'Ummm…please spar with me at school every day at midnight for the next week.'

Yep, this was suicidal alright, but I _had _to get stronger!

The battle with Mukuro made me realize how utterly weak and pathetic I was.

How the heck was I gonna protect Tsuna if he was stronger than me?

And so, after a long period of thinking, I decided that this was the fastest and most efficient method of training.

A one week course of hellish battles and broken bones.

I'll improve for _sure_.

Why do it at midnight?

So I can minimize the amount of dignity I lose when I drag my half-dead body back to the apartment.

'Hn. You're quite strong. I wouldn't mind biting you to death. I'll be waiting at the back of the school.'

'Uhh…after the battle please leave me alive. 'Kay? See ya later.'

Then I left the room two shades paler than I was before.

The way that he was smirking at me was just _disturbing_.

It wasn't just one of those I-have-a-surprise-for-you-later kind of smirk.

Oh, _no_.

It was more like a, I'm-going-to-enjoy-myself-while-torturing-you-with-a-legit-reason-because-I-can-and-I-**will** kind of smirk.

Considering this is _Hibari _we're talking about…I'm in for a painful evening.

* * *

><p>Let's see, what time was it?<p>

About 7:00pm so I have 5 hours left.

I was already wearing my gloves and dressed for combat.

I had also prepared my sword and restocked my bandages for this evening.

Remember when I said the sword was reserved for Mafia only?

Scratch that, it's now for everyday use since apparently; I lost all my other weapons except my bracelet during the Mukuro thing.

I better enjoy life with all my limbs intact while I can…

As I walked into town to get some Pocky, I passed the public pool and saw Yamamoto trying to teach Tsuna how to swim.

Hmm…

I'm gonna mess with Gokudera a bit.

I took out my cell phone and sent him a message.

I bet he'll actually fall for it since he still seriously believes I'm a vampire (I caught him stalking me with a notepad and glasses!).

_**~Gokudera POV~**_

_'Hm? What's this?'_

_I took out my cell phone as it rang._

_A text from the strange vampire girl?_

_Tch, I better look at it. It might contain secrets about mythical species…_

_To: Gokudera Hayato_

_Subject: Intersting Happenings_

_Gokudera, Tsuna suddenly caught a mysterious disease that takes away one's ability to swim and is dying in the public pool._

_Ah, such a shame his right hand man isn't there to help him at a time like this…_

_-Kurogane_

_HOLY SHIT!_

_JUDAIMEI, HERE I COMEEEE! I'LL SAVE YOU!_

_**~End Pov~**_

I smirked.

Over in the distance, I could hear Gokudera yelling 'JUDAIMEEEEI!'

Looks like he bought it, hook, line and sinker.

I made my way to the supermarket and got my Pocky and some cat food.

Recently, I found out that there was a pair of wild kitties at the park and started feeding them random stuff whether it was fish, ham, or even takoyaki.

I found them too cute to resist and they had grown attached to me.

Unfortunately, my apartment was strict about the no pets rule since there were so many rich neat freaks…

As a result, I came once in a while in the evening to play with them I had taken note of their individual attributes and habits.

The one with striped gray/black fur and a white tummy was extremely affectionate and liked being petted and played with while the one with yellow fur and orange stripes was lazy and liked to sleep on my lap.

I made a little cat home hidden deep in the trees and bushes just for them and they were my secret pets. (and I can afford it cuz I'm a billionaire so HA)

I reached the clearing and they came to greet me excitedly.

I had a soft spot for cute animals since I recall my parents keeping pets when they were still alive.

It reminded me of the good old days filled with feelings of warmth and happiness that were long forgotten…

I gave them the food and played with them for a couple hours and then parted.

I should probably can the animal care center...I won't be around to play with them forever...

The moon was out and clouds circled it in a churning pattern.

Time for the start of demonic training…

* * *

><p><em><strong>~Midnight at School~<strong>_

'_Clang!'_

Tonfa meets blade yet again.

'You actually came.' said Hibari

He charged and did an uppercut which I deflected and then I spun around with a low kick.

'Of course.' I responded.

Yes, I came. I didn't want to, but for the sake of the Tunafish, I came to get stronger.

He dodged and attacked while I parried and retreated.

I was nearing a tree and needed to move so he can't pin me down so I leaped upwards, propelled myself using the tree, and did a flip to land myself on the other side of him.

For the next few minutes, we engaged in fierce combat and exchanged few words.

'_Clang_!'

I stopped one of his tonfas with my blade and we had a contest of strength for a few seconds (FAIL. Epic FAIL.)

'Not bad, but that's not enough.' said Hibari.

He spun and got me with a swipe at my stomach. That was gonna bruise later…Tell me it's not broken…

My knees buckled and I dropped and rolled to avoid a downwards blow from his tonfa.

I got back up, sent off a stream of slashes, and managed to land a hit on him.

This was crazy training alright.

The moonlight was dim so I had to rely on instincts, trees casted shadows and served as obstacles, and the wall was the place I needed to steer clear of at all costs cuz I need room to maneuver.

He charged at me again and I deflected, dodged, parried his numerous attacks, tried to look for an opening…

Failure.

Somewhat.

I don't even know anymore!

His tonfa missed my head by an inch and my blade grazed his cheek.

'Wao. You've improved.'

I grunted in response.

Yes, I had gone through the trouble of daily body training (like push-ups and sit-ups) and jogged around the town everyday as a daily routine ever since I recovered and now I decided I needed some real life sparring.

And no, I am not copying Ryohei. He's too crazy for his own good...

We charged at each other, exchanged blows, landed hits on each other and the cycle repeated.

My ribs are starting to hurt and my stamina was running out.

Hibari seemed like he was gonna keep going until dawn.

How long had we been at it?

A few hours non-stop at least…

Thanks to my weariness, I didn't notice he was cornering me until I was disarmed and my back hit the wall.

Fear set in.

My eyes closed and I raised my arms so they formed a shield to protect my head from the oncoming blow.

It never came.

I opened my eyes to find that Hibari stopped his tonfa a centimeter from my arms.

'Herbivore, if that was a real battle, you would've broken your arms.' He said as he withdrew his tonfas.

I let my arms drop to my sides and picked up my sword.

'Show up at the rooftop tomorrow.' He said as he walked off.

'Spared, spared.' chirped Hibird. Yes, I know that. You don't have to tell me!

But still…he spared me?

That was surprising.

Maybe he felt like he was still in debt?

Nah, he probably wants to beat me up again later.

Whatever the reason, I somehow came out of training with only two very bruised ribs (THAT'S RIGHT. Only two! It's a lot better compared to the last time I fought him), a few (a ton) of _really _sore spots and bruises, and a quite a lot of scrapes.

If I recall correctly, I'm quite sure I landed a hit (okay, only one, BUT IT STILL COUNTS).

At least it wasn't as horrible as I thought, right?

I originally assumed that I would come back half-dead, beaten and bloody, and barely conscious.

Just six more days…Nothing can happen, right?

* * *

><p>'You look nice!' said Tsuna. Really? I never knew...<p>

'Ahaha! You should wear light clothes more often!' said Yamamoto.

As if that'll happen...

'Thanks.' I answered.

'Che.' said Gokudera.

Thank you very much for your kind comment, octopus.

We were at the beach and for _once_, I was dressed in light clothes and my dark aura of creepiness and evil was missing (Alright, my aura isn't really intimidating or evil, but let's pretend, okay? It'll make me feel better...)

I was wearing a light grey, short sleeved jacket and a white T-shirt plus short light blue jeans and slip-on shoes.

Why not a swimsuit?

Because my ribs were bandaged up and my scrapes still showed plus I'm really not one for wearing bikinis…

I might be a fast healer, but I'm not THAT fast and I didn't want Tsuna worrying.

I could still fight, though.

And where was my vampire reputation when I needed it?

The guys here are giving me weird looks…

'Everyone, sorry to keep you waiting!'

Kyoko and Haru showed up and so did Ryohei along with Reborn being way too lazy.

When did they blow up a pool? Should I pay again?

…I'll just watch them work. I can't have Tsuna depending on me too much.

Besides, doing normal activities is good for maintaining sanity and keeping balance between normal-ness and mafia craziness.

I stayed in the shade on a blanket and watched as they encountered some senior lifeguards who seemed more like delinquents than lifeguards.

Reborn was there and literally shut Gokudera up for some reason.

As far as I can tell, it seemed like there was some sort of swimming contest going on.

I sighed and headed over to a shop to get ice cones.

'One blueberry flavored shaved ice please.' I said.

The owner handed one over and it seemed that while I was gone, Tsuna went off to save a little girl, Yamamoto and Gokudera pwned some senior delinquents and Reborn went scuba diving for T(s)una fish.

Normal day, normal day~ Nothing out of the ordinary~

* * *

><p>It was evening and I had planned on enjoying the festival.<p>

Unfortunately, Reborn forced me to wear a short, black and silver yakuta with white flowers while running a stand.

Did I mention what he did to my hair?

Half of it was put up in a messy bun using chopsticks that he got out of nowhere and the other half just cascaded down my back as usual.

He then stuck a white flower pin on the side of my bangs and told me if it falls off, he'll make me suffer forever.

Then he said something about 'being part of the family' and honoring Japanese traditions.

Yeah, I get the traditions part, but why did mines have to be so short?

'Because you're a short person.' was his answer.

You little-! URRGGGGG!

The fact that it somehow made sense was even _worse_!

And that was how I winded up running a stand instead of having a good time at the festival.

My products where bananas covered in chocolate.

It was quite popular and I had a steady flow of customers.

Arg, this was so _boring._

How long do I have to keep this up?

_**~With Tsuna~**_

'_Ipin decided.' said Ipin._

'_Eh?' said Tsuna._

'_I found something I want. Over there.'_

_She took him over to a certain someone's stand and he read the sign._

'_Chocolate Bananas?' he read out loud._

'_May we have one please?' He called to the store owner._

'_Yes, I'll make it now.' A familiar voice responded._

_The owner came from the back to reveal that she was none other than Mei dressed up in a cute yakuta uniform!_

'_M-Mei?' exclaimed Tsuna._

_He blushed when he saw her altogether in her outfit._

'_Oh, hey Tsuna.' She said as she took out a chocolate banana covered in sprinkles._

'_Wow! You look so great!' said Tsuna._

'_Thanks.' She said as she handed him the banana treat._

'_Judaimei!_

'_Tsuna!'_

_They turned and saw Yamamoto and Gokudera coming over._

'_It's about time you all showed up.' said Reborn as he appeared out of nowhere and stood on the stand._

_How the heck does he do that?_

'_Mei has been working hard to earn money to pay for the pool you broke so you should start helping out!'_

'_Eh? Really? Thank you!' said Tsuna._

'_Ahaha! Sounds fun!' said Yamamoto._

'_If it's for then Tenth, I'll do anything!' proclaimed Gokudera._

_Haru and Kyoko came and got some bananas and took Futa with them._

_They said they were going to watch fireworks later and that if the gang sold all the bananas, they could probably make it in time together._

_And so, everyone helped sell bananas._

* * *

><p><em><strong>~Tsuna POV~<strong>_

_Mei looks so good in her yakuta!_

_It's the first time I've seen her dressed like this with her hair up._

_I wish she was friendlier…Wait, I like Kyoko! I think…_

_Argh, they're both such great friends! I can't choose but I hope I can see fireworks with everyone!_

_I will sell the bananas as fast as possible!_

_We got started but it wasn't going too well._

_'BUY THESE!' demanded Gokudera._

_The more Gokudera-kun gets into this, the more customers back away!_

_'Here you are, two chocolate bananas!' said Yamamoto._

_The mom told the kid to say thanks and he did._

_Yamamoto's doing great!_

_'That's a good answer! As a reward, I'll give you one more!'_

_WE CAN'T MAKE A PROFIT LIKE THAT!_

_This is no good, there's no way we can make it in time for the fireworks…Wait, what about Mei?_

_I glanced over at her corner._

_'Thank you. Come again.' She said as she handed over the bananas._

_'What a polite young girl! I'll take one more!'_

_She carefully made another banana and handed it over with a 'Thank you very much. Enjoy.'_

_As expected!_

_She's so polite and the customers like her! If only she would smile more… she hardly ever smiles._

_She's protected me so many times but is hardly ever around._

_Now that I think about it, she doesn't say much even when she was around._

_I wish I can get her to open up more…Being close friends with her would be nice…_

_Arggg! Why am I thinking these things now?_

_Even with her help, we'll never sell all of these!_

_'I can't keep watching.'_

_'Adult Ipin!'_

_'A part time job?'_

_'Are you making a delivery in your yakuta?'_

_'Yes. I'm on my way home after delivering ramen to Mr. Kawahiro.'_

_We conversed for a little while and she started giving us tips on how to run the shop. Ipin must have talent in marketing…_

_'And feng-shui is also important.'_

_Here she comes with the Chinese stuff!_

_Soon, the stand was decked out in a Chinese style feng-shui pattern and more customers actually came!_

_We were down to the last box in no time!_

_Yamamoto wanted to go play some games and Gokudera went to the restroom._

_Mei was the only one left._

_This was perfect! No one could interrupt us and I could get to know her better!_

_**~End Tsuna POV~**_

* * *

><p>I stayed behind when Yamamoto and Gokudera left.<p>

Tsuna was looking sorta pink but it must be the summer heat.

'So, Mei, do you like festivals?'

'Sorta.'

Yeah, I like enjoying them instead of working at them…

'Umm…what are your hobbies?'

'Reading, cooking, computers.'

I was also training but he didn't need to know…

'You like to cook? Wow, I'd like to try someday!'

...Okay? That's the first time someone asked me to cook for them.

'…I guess I can make you something…what do you like?'

'Anything's okay!' He said.

He looked ridiculously happy and I felt a bit touched that he would be so glad just to get to eat the food I make.

I suppose I can make him a bento or something…

'I need to go. Hibari's expecting me.'

Yeah, it was getting late and I wanted to change and get some rest before our rematch (Death-match is more accurate, but who knows. He spared me last time, right?)

'Okay, bye!'

I headed off towards my apartment and thought about the events of the day.

Apart from the whole Reborn-making-me-work-or-suffer-the-horrid-consequences thing, it was a pretty nice day.

I set up my alarm clock and took off my bandages (Ick. Old bandages are nasty.)

Most of my wounds had healed up by now since I had applied our organization's special ointment on it in the morning (the stuff is a miracle! I can't live without it!).

I got on my bed and was out cold in 5 seconds.

* * *

><p><em><strong>~Midnight on Rooftop~<strong>_

'Hey, Hibari-san.' I said as I walked through the door.

'Herbivore, let's get started.'

Jeez, aren't you the impatient one.

And so, we got into battle and I fought as hard as I can.

'_Clang!Clang!Clang!'_

The sounds of metal clashing against metal rang throughout the night.

It was a full moon and this time, I didn't have to worry about obstacles or vision aid.

I managed to land more hits than last time and could actually block a direct attack without stumbling, wincing, ect.

Yep, I was improving for sure...I think.

We exchanged blows, attacked openings, retreated, and charged over and over.

So far, my only fatal wounds are on the left leg, right shoulder, and stomach (Does he aim there on purpose? Or am I just always open there?).

'Hibari-san, can we take a break, now?' I asked.

I was seriously running out of stamina.

This time, we went at it for an hour more than last time.

'Hn.'

He sent a powerful strike at my head, but I stopped it with my sword and was pushed back a bit.

'Very well.' He said.

He was about to leave but I saw one of his arms bleeding and a couple other cuts.

'Umm…Hibari-san, do you want to stay a little longer? I could treat your wounds.'

Wow, if I can injure him that means a LOT.

Even if it's just a couple scratches, it means I improved quite a bit since I used to be unable to land a single hit.

I was covered in bruises and scrapes so I really wasn't one to talk, but Hibari was bleeding and the least I can do is help a bit.

Even bloodthirsty battle maniacs need first-aid, right?

He stared at me for a bit and then said,

'I hate crowding…'

I should've known he was gonna say that…How the heck did I even forget in the first place?

Stupid me! That was a dumb suggestion.

'…but you don't crowd around.'

My eyes widened.

THE Hibari Kyouya saying that someone wasn't crowding?

This should be recorded and sent out to the world!

He stood next to the wall and rested on it.

I walked over and started wrapping up his cuts. There were only a few, but some were pretty deep.

This was actually a great moment of pride for me because,

1. I actually wounded Hibari. HIBARI.

2. Apparently, he no longer tries to kill me when I'm within 5 meter distance.

3. He no longer chases me down to fight since I had mustered up my courage and came on my own free will.

That was quite a lot of accomplishments if you ask me.

I finished treating his wounds and said,

'Since you're coming here to fight me every day, how about I treat your wounds afterwards? To me, your debt is already paid off.' I said.

Hey, it's called being nice.

He's coming to school in the middle of the night to spar with me and I should appreciate it.

'…Fine.'

We stood there for a while and then suddenly, he hit the top of my head with the bottom of his tonfa.

'Ow! What was that for?' I exclaimed.

I was holding the place where he had hit me.

That _hurt, _you jerk!

Didn't I just treat your wounds?

He said, 'Stop loitering and get going or else I'll bite you to death.' with a dangerous glint in his eyes.

I hurried away and headed home.

Even if I was allowed to treat his wounds, it didn't change the fact that he was still the bloodthirsty perfect!

Seems like he'll always be as scary as heck no matter what!

* * *

><p><strong>Lots of character development in this chapter!<strong>

**I did some moments for both Tsuna and Hibari.**

**Was it a bit too sappy? Maybe Hibari was OOC...Review to tell me your opinion!**

**Also****, don't forget to vote on the poll on my profile!**

**Ciao!**


	10. Until Squalo Appeared Along With Rings

**And the winning position is...Guardian!**

**External Adviser was super close, though.**

**Should I do both?...Nah, t****hat would be going overboard and turning Mary-Sue-y.**

**Hibari is more suited for External Adviser anyways...And wasn't Alaude head of CEDEF?**

**Doesn't that forshadow the same happening to Hibari?**

**Whatever...**

**I tried to come up with a Guradian that wasn't super cliche like the Snow or Hail or Star.**

**Hope you approve...**

**Enough of my rambling and enjoy the story!**

* * *

><p>The past few days went by somewhat normally and I was pretty sure I had an extreme improvement in speed.<p>

Why?

Because every day went something like this.

Wake up, go to school, run away from explosions, eat lunch, run away from explosions, go do stuff, run away from _more_ explosions, spar with Hibari, run away from _Hibari_, make it to the apartment in one piece, groan about the plain horror of _life_, fall asleep(more like drop dead), repeat.

Yeah, mostly running away from _something_, whether it's a crazy perfect or messed-up-in-the-head-mafioso.

Why don't you guess the main causes of the explosions?

Here's a hint: Short Tempered Guy with Dynamite + Annoying Cow with Grenades.

Do the math.

And so, I did my best to look from afar, maintain the basic necessities of life, train, survive, and watch out for potential assassins.

The one week training course with Hibari had ended and the results after continuous matches every day without a break were 3 broken ribs, a fractured arm, sprained ankle, blood, guts, and newly developed hatred of life.

So naturally, when it ended, I was relieved to finally be free of midnight torture.

All in all, I had honed my skills quite a bit and was considerably stronger.

At least there weren't any assassins yet.

I hoped against hope that the relative peace would last.

Would it?

In this world?

Of course not!

The day that happens is the day Ryohei is quiet, Hibari is nice, Yamamoto gets a brain, Gokudera is sweet and…yeah I can go on and on.

Since fate seemed to absolutely hate me, it wasn't that big of a shock when I received an email saying that the CEDEF and Varia was on the move.

Apparently, something was going on and I was to keep an eye out for danger (excluding dynamite, grenades, an overdose of extreme-ness, hyperactive dude in boxers, and bloodthirsty perfects…).

Hmm…

Both CEDEF and Varia are powerful organizations and if they were both on the move, it had to mean _something _(and knowing my luck, that _something_ is going to involve violence, blood, and horror).

When I ran into Tsuna on the way to school, I heard his dad was back for the first time in 2 years.

Wasn't his father Sawada Iemitsu the External Advisor?

Why would he visit his son for the first time in two years without a really, really good reason?

Wait a sec.

CEDEF on the move, Varia on the move, External Advisor visiting long forgotten son.

This was beyond suspicious…

And so, being the totally (un)considerate and (un)caring person I was, I told Tsuna,

'Great. You're reunited with your long-lost father.'

Did I bother to inform him about possibly life-threatening events that might occur?

Nope.

How come?

Because something tells me trouble is brewing and I had no idea what the heck was going on in the first place and my mission was to protect Tsuna so I needed to find out.

So basically, it means I'll have to stick with him and put up with the constant explosions, bickering, yelling, fighting, and utter chaos in general.

Oh _joy_.

My life was _so_ awesome.

* * *

><p>On our way, Gokudera and Yamamoto came and received the happy news.<p>

Our friendly baseball idiot suggested we skip school today since it was all reviews anyways.

Nice…I can tail them in the distance and observe through a hole with binoculars…

'Why don't you come as well, Kurogane-chan? You grades are always perfect anyways!'

But I don't wanna…too bad I have to.

'Yeah, vampire! Judaimei wants to spend some quality time with you! Appreciate it!' said Gokudera.

'You don't have to if you don't want to.' said Tsuna apologetically.

Sigh.

I didn't have a choice. When _did_ I ever have a choice, anyways?

'I'll come.'

And so, we called everyone to hang out.

The entire gang was here plus Kyoko and Haru was here and it was a giant crowd.

I was supposed to be with them but I wanted to keep my distance and avoid getting dragged into anything unimportant.

Therefore, in order to maintain my personal space, I just stayed a few meters behind so I was technically with them but still a good distance away.

All was going well and my presence was soon forgotten even though I was with them in the beginning.

Ah, the advantages of totally lacking a presence…

I watched from a corner as Tsuna drooled over Kyoko as usual and Lambo caused endless trouble for everyone.

They took pictures, listened to music, and sat down with drinks.

It seemed pretty nice and there was a warm, fuzzy feeling that made me pull back a couple more feet just to avoid being contaminated by the sheer _fuzziness_ of the atmosphere.

Seriously, I'm _not _a warm person and watching it was more than enough.

I prefer somewhere cold and quiet where I can be alone and enjoy life.

Although one friend wouldn't hurt…Argghh! Shut up, brain!

I don't care if I have a gaping hole in my heart called loneliness!

I put up with it for years and these people aren't gonna change that!

This is just a mission; I'm leaving this group in a couple years anyways so it's better not to get too attached.

Suddenly, my sharp ears picked up explosions in the distance.

Those weren't caused by Gokudera or Lambo for sure.

My hand gripped my necklace as I realized the sounds were coming our way.

There was a loud 'boom!' as the roof of the building nearby started to smoke.

Tsuna and Kyoko started to panic and a person came flying their way and landed on Tsuna.

I recognized him as Basil, a member of CEDEF. Don't tell me…

Iemitsu returning, CEDEF on the move, Varia on the move…

I looked up and saw a person on the roof.

That was…Superbi, Squalo!

Oh hell no.

* * *

><p>I got out my blade and ran to Tsuna.<p>

'Tsuna, that guy's our enemy!'

'Vooooi! A bunch of outsiders are making a crowd! Anyone who gets in my way will be cut!'

Squalo aimed numerous attacks in our direction and most people scattered.

It seemed like Reborn took care of the girls and the kids and only me, Tsuna, Basil, Gokudera, and Yamamoto were left.

Basil took Tsuna and attempted to run away but was stopped by Squalo's attack.

'Vooooooiii! Let's quit playing chase. So who is that? Now tell me!'

Squalo's attack blew away Basil and Tsuna was defenseless.

Damn it all!

Why am I always the only one who's close enough at a time like this?

Oh wait, I forgot.

It was my honorable duty to get beaten to a bloody pulp for the sake of the future ruler of the underworld.

_Joy._

I charged and attacked Squalo.

Our blades clashed and I went all out from the get-go.

'Vooooii! Who the hell are you, brat?' He yelled as we attacked each other.

This guy was indeed Varia quality.

I could feel his tremendous strength through his attacks but I still held my ground.

Just barely, but that's unimportant right now.

Daily sparring with Hibari was definitely paying off since if it was the old me, I would've gotten my butt kicked ages ago.

'Answer me, damn it!' He attacked viciously and I was having trouble keeping up.

'Oi, duck!' called Gokudera's voice.

Out of sheer instinct and unwanted experiance, I leaped away and pulled Tsuna down just as dynamites rained down.

Squalo saw the dynamites coming and dodged them all.

'Take a look at what happens when you raise a hand at him. You won't walk away.' said Gokudera.

'Well, something like that. We'll take you on!' said Yamamoto.

'Gokudera-kun! Yamamoto!' Tsuna exclaimed.

'You guys involved with him too? Vooooiii! I don't really understand but I'll tell you one thing for certain. Defy me and die! ' yelled Squalo.

Gokudera got out his dynamites and Yamamoto was beside him holding his sword and they looked ready to fight but…

'Don't! He's not an opponent you can take on! He's simply that dangerous! ' Basil feebly called. He looked like he was heavily injured.

His warning was too late.

Yamamoto and Squalo clashed and Yamamoto went down rapidly.

'Yamamoto!' cried Tsuna.

Gokudera went down as well and it was over in an instant.

'Vooooiii! Not even worth talking about! Just die!

Damn it…

With no other choice, I stood between him and Tsuna with my blade raised and blocked his attack.

'Hey, you seem better the others but…' He attacked even harder and my arm was slashed apart. 'You're still weak!'

'Arghh!' I gasped as his sword tore apart my skin.

THE **PAIN**. IT _BURNS_.

Still, I gripped my blade and attacked again.

We exchanged blows at freakish speeds and neither of us gave an inch.

'Voooiii! You're not half-bad! Who are you, kid?'

'It doesn't matter.' I growled.

We were still on even grounds but that was gonna change real soon.

'Ah!' I gasped as he landed a swipe on my side.

Shit!

My wounds were too great!

Blood poured from my side and my arm was burning with pain from the previous attacks.

At this rate, I was screwed!

However, I didn't spar with Hibari for one week straight without learning some new tactics.

After his next attack, I held him in place and then I spun and landed a flying kick on him, causing him to retreat a bit.

Using this opening, I managed to cut his left arm.

Suddenly, I stumbled a bit.

Aw, FUCK.

My ribs were bleeding _waaaay_ too much and I went down on my knees from the massive blood loss.

'Vooooiiii! Brat, answer me! Who the hell are you?'

Squalo came at me again but before he reached me,

'REBORN! DEFEAT THE LONG-HAIR WITH MY DYING WILL!' Tsuna cried.

'Wait, Tsuna-!'

He charged at Squalo and my warning fell on deaf ears.

They engaged in combat and I was as useless as heck in my current state.

I winced from the pain.

I was dizzy from blood loss and that Basil was out cold (I think…).

Tsuna was nowhere near strong enough to defeat Squalo and I was injured badly.

Damn…

I cut up part of my shirt and used it for bandages while Tsuna and Squalo fought.

Tsuna was losing and he soon lost his dying will.

I was too far away to help and I couldn't make it in time with my wounds!

Suddenly, there were a couple explosions and lots of smoke.

That Basil had saved Tsuna and took him somewhere a good distance away.

He was still conscious? Good for him, but why didn't you do something sooner?

Would've saved me a lot of trouble…

He took Tsuna over to a corner and started talking rapidly while taking out a box.

My eyes widened as I recognized what he was holding.

That was…!

I've _got _to hold off Squalo no matter what!

I got up, charged, and locked swords with Squalo.

THE PAAAINNNNN. IT'S BACK.

'Voooiii! Don't get in my way, brat!'

'Tsuna, take the box and run!' I called.

This was absolutely urgent!

Apparently, Squalo knew it as well because he came at me harder than ever before.

Looks like he was finally serious.

We attacked each other rapidly and I was wearing out faster than ever.

Not even Hibari was as insane as this guy!

We went at it again and my wounds/pain/blood-loss was killing me.

We attacked, leaped back, and was about to charge again when a new voice interrupted.

'You haven't changed, Superbia, Squalo. Getting so serious against a little girl…aren't you embarassed?'

* * *

><p>That voice…Dino!<p>

I have never been so thankful for his presence.

Also, who are you calling _little girl?_

Whatever, we're saved.

If Dino was with his subordinates, he can probably defeat Squalo!

And just in time, too. If we had clashed again, I seriously doubt I would've come out alive.

'Dino-san!' Tsuna exclaimed.

'If you insist on continuing your tasteless game, I'll take you on.' said Dino.

'Voooii! It'd be fun to take you on right now, Bucking Bronco! But the brass won't like it if I take on the Family Alliance. So I'll go home quietly…There's no way I'll do that!'

He grabbed Tsuna's head and laughed.

'Tsuna!' I cried.

I charged at him with my blade as Dino attacked with his whip.

He deflected both our attacks and let go of Tsuna.

I ran over to Tsuna while dripping blood all over the place.

Oh, the sympathy I feel for whoever had to clean up this mess afterwards…

'Are you alright?' I panted.

Man, my wounds are_ killing_ me and they were soaking through my clothes-turned-bandages.

'Are you guys alright?' said Dino as he came over.

NO. I'M _NOT_ ALRIGHT.

I'm currently gushing massive amounts of blood as well as battered and bruised from my encounter with the psycho, long-haired, Varia Quality freak-zoid sent from the pits of hell who just tried to kill me.

'I'm fine.' was my not-so-honest respond.

'S-Somehow.' said Tsuna.

'Soft as always, Bucking Bronco!'

I whipped around to see Squalo on the roof of a building.

Did he want more? Cuz at this point, I really didn't give a crap.

'For your sake, I'll leave them in your hands. But I'll take these with me!'

He held up the Vongola Rings.

OH HELL NO.

I winced and stumbled as I tried to run over.

Damn, I couldn't make it with these wounds!

'The Vongola Rings!' exclaimed Basil. How the heck are you even conscious?

Dino gasped and got ready to attack but Squalo had already left.

'Pursuing him wouldn't be smart.' said Reborn.

Oh, _now_ you show up.

'Why didn't you help me?' exclaimed Tsuna.

Yes, why didn't you?

'I'm not allowed to attack him.'

Oh, family thing…screw the laws, I don't care…

The rings can only mean one thing.

The Boss and Guardians are to be chosen and it looks like the opposing force was the Varia.

I feel pity for his chosen Guardians.

Whoever they were, they were gonna **suffer**…Like, **really** suffer.

I might be in charge of protecting him, but this was a Vongola Family thing and I have no intention of getting involved.

And _no_, I don't _care_ if I'm _in_ the said family because there is no way in hell I'm getting involved in this…

'Oi, are you okay?' Dino asked.

'Somewh…'

I never finished my sentence as I passed out from extreme blood loss right then and there.

Wow, I am _so_ dignified aren't I?

* * *

><p><em><strong>~Outsider POV~<strong>_

'Gokudera, Yamamoto!' Tsuna cried.

'Judaimei, you're safe!'

'Tsuna!'

'Are you two alright? And where's Mei?'

Dino walked over carrying Mei carefully with both arms while one of his subordinates carried Basil.

'Mei!'

Tsuna's eyes widened at her state.

Blood soaked through her clothes on her side and her arm had deep cuts all over it not to mention all the bruises and scrapes.

'Mei…' He echoed. He looked horrified.

'Don't worry. She'll be alright.' Dino reassured.

'I'll defeat him the next time I see him!' said Gokudera.

'Maybe he's still in the area.' Yamamoto says.

'You two can go home.' said Reborn. 'You two must have realized it. At your current strength, you'll just be in the way. If Mei wasn't around, who knows what might've happened. Even as it is, she is still gravely injured from protecting you guys.'

'Reborn! What are you saying!' excalimed Tsuna.

Reborn tied him up and dragged him off while explaining things.

_**~At Random Hospital~**_

'Their lives aren't in any danger.' said Romario.

Tsuna, Reborn, and Dino stood by two beds that contained Mei and Basil.

Mei and Basil were both wrapped up in bandages though Basil seemed worse off.

'It seemed like they were both trained well, Boss.' said Romario.

'Umm…What is he? Is he a member of the Vongola?' asked Tsuna.

He glanced at both of them worriedly.

Mei looked so pale and fragile...like she was going to break any moment...

But back to the topic at hand.

Dino and Reborn explained the situation to him.

Dino revealed that he had the real rings with him told Tsuna that it belonged to him.

Tsuna was in denial about the fact that he had to accept the horrid rings of utter doom and ran out of the room with a lame excuse.

'Does he still think he can run away from his destiny?' said Dino.

'Hm.' said Reborn.

_**~End POV~**_

* * *

><p>When I woke up, I was lying in a soft bed and free of pain.<p>

I glanced down at my chest and remembered what happened.

Right…I encountered the psycho, long-haired, Varia quality freak-zoid from the pits of hell that tried to kill me and then passed out like a pathetic, weak, naive little girl.

Ugh, the _humiliation_.

That was sooooo totally embarrassing.

Not only did I get beaten up, I lost half my dignity and took a painful blow to my ego.

That bastard!

I would vow to get revenge if it weren't for the fact that it was flat out _impossible_ at the moment and probably never _will_ be possible.

I got out of the bed and tested my strength.

Yep, I could walk and it didn't hurt that much although it would be quite a long time before I can go jumping out of windows again.

I made my way to the door and avoided anyone and everyone (because I need peace and quiet without creepy men)

The Vongola Rings were here…

Tsuna and his friends were probably the Guardians and hopefully, I wasn't involved since I was in the unofficial Segreto Family.

I seriously didn't want to mess up my life any more than I already had.

Being a Guardian would bring protecting Tsuna to a _whole_ nother level.

I was perfectly fine with watching from the sidelines and who in their right mind would _willingly_ fight the Varia?

Besides, if I was defeated by Squalo, that should be a sure sign that I was too weak and someone else was better suited for the job (that's probably the only good thing that came out of all this…)

I'm right, right? RIGHT?

Please-say-yes-please-say-yes-please-say-yes-I'm-too-young-to-suffer-slow-painful-death…

* * *

><p>I returned home...And. Saw. The. Horrid. Ring. Of. Doom. Sitting. On. My. Table. Gleaming. At. Me. Evilly.<p>

I stared.

Then I turned around, walked out the door, closed it behind me and took a deep breath.

I calmed my nerves, opened the door, and that _thing _was still there.

I staaaaared.

It took me about five minutes to process this information and react accordingly.

ARGHH! WHAT THE HECK IS THIS _THING_ DOING HERE?

I can't be a Guardian! I'm not strong enough!

Not to mention I was already defeated…

This was like the worst possible situation that spelled complete and utter doom for my plans of a peaceful future free of mafia craziness.

I picked up the ring and glared at it willing it to disappear and leave me forever…and failed.

Unsurprisingly.

What should I do?

Turning down the position was probably the best option…

'Hey, Mei! Ready for more training?' a voice suddenly burst out.

My reaction…was epic.

I flinched, dropped the ring, whirled around, and nearly fainted from shock.

'Luke...What. Are. You. _Doing_?

'I heard you're the new Guardian of Decimo's Family! Congratulations! We got word of what's going on and I'm here to help you out!'

'I didn't even accept the position yet.' I deadpanned. 'Also, how did you get here so fast? Squalo only came yesterday.'

'Oh, well, we have our ways. I'm here to explain stuff to you and introduce you to your new tutor.'

'New?'

'Yep. C'mon out.'

'Yo, I'm Shura Shiono, your new tutor.'

I stared some more.

I front of me was a tan, red-headed woman with mid-length wavy hair and hazel eyes with rather 'peculiar' clothes for lack of better words.

She was wearing a black half jacket made of leather and a dark pink bra plus jean shorts and knee high boots.

If I train with this person I will most definitely pick up some bad habits…

Also, why is everyone completely ignoring my opinion and assuming I'm already the Guardian?

'Hey, nice place ya got. Care if we settle down? We've got a lonnnng talk coming up.' said Shura.

'Um…Sure.'

I lead them to the living room and the three of us settled down on the couches.

'Why do I need two tutors?' I asked.

'Well, we both specialize in different things that are important for you to learn so yeah…Anyways, we're here to talk to you about your ring.' said Luke.

I nodded and they got started on their lecture.

'Your ring is called the Moon Ring. The orb of light that helps the Family from the darkness of the night. It's… let's just say…_unique.'_

'How so?'

'Well…' He took out a little box and opened it to reveal…The. Second. Half. Of. The. Horrid. Ring. Of. Doom.

I just staaaared.

'…Shouldn't Varia have that?'

'Nah, they wouldn't have known about it.' said Shura.

'Huh?'

'The Moon Ring is different from the other rings. The Segreto Family keeps half of it and it's not absolutely necessary for one to become a boss. As a matter of fact, only the 1st, 2rd, and 7th had one.'

'…Your point is?'

'You're already the official Guardian. You've already got the whole ring so you don't need to fight the Varia for it.'

Really?

Great!

In that case, you can take it back and find someone else or even better, leave the position unoccupied!

Half the Bosses didn't have a Moon Guardian, right?

Why should I do it?

'Then why don't you keep it unoccupied?'

'Well you're perfect for the role so there's really no reason to.'

Perfect? Like heck.

'Hey kid, hate to break it to you, but you can't run away from the position. Your ancestor was the First Generation Moon Guardian and your grandfather was the 7th Generation Moon guardian so it's practically your destiny from birth.' said Shura.

'What?'

'Let me explain.' said Luke. 'I told you that there's no boss of the Segreto Family right? That was a lie. There's no boss _yet _is more accurate.'

'Why?'

'It's cuz she's still an un-trained little brat who doesn't know who she is.' said Shura.

Seriously? Sounds like a pretty crap boss…

Wait a sec. Un-trained little kid with no idea what's going on…

No.

Just **no.**

This CANNOT be happening.

'_I'm _the boss of our family?' I said in disbelief.

'Yep, so you better train your ass off or else you ain't gonna survive.' said Shura.

'WHY?'

'Well, the First Generation Moon Guardian was your great, great, great, grandfather. Before he became a guardian, he had his own mafia family. In order to be part of the Vongola, he deemed his family unofficial and made it Vongola's secret allies. That's the reason that to this day, we're still an unofficial family despite our power and influence.' Luke explained.

'So you're saying…that our Family is actually really powerful and _I'm _the freakin' boss.'

'Yep, that just about sums it up.' said Shura. 'Which is why, to avoid having our future boss killed, we're here to train you like there's no tomorrow! I look forward to it…' she said with an evil chuckle.

Tell me she's not a sadist…

'But why the heck would I have a mission of protecting the boss of another family if I'm the boss of this family?'

'The First Generation Moon Guardian protected Primo from the shadows and it's been continued by all his successors. Unfortunately, many of his descendants were far weaker than he was and couldn't follow his footsteps. Our Family began to weaken and relied on the Vongola Family's power to survive. Because of this, we were in their debt and a promise was made that the next successor will do everything within his/her power to aid the next boss of Vongola.'

'And that successor was me?'

'It was supposed to be your father. However, as the boss of the Segreto Family, he fell in battle and the promise was pushed onto you.'

…My parents died in battle…and this was what they had died for.

I looked at the ring in my hand.

Suddenly, I no longer wanted to abandon the position.

This was the duty I was born to fulfill.

I cannot run away from it.

I had to accept my fate.

* * *

><p>'So, why now?' I asked.<p>

How come I wasn't informed when I first found out about our Family?

'The Varia's boss, Xanxus, didn't make his move for the position until recently so we didn't tell you.' said Luke.

I see…

'Also cuz if by any chance this wasn't necessary, we would've left you alone but the Cervello claimed otherwise.' said Shura.

'Cervello?'

'The neutral force that becomes the judges when there's internal fighting in the Vongola. They said that since the Moon Guardian is already decided, you have to join the winning side.' said Luke.

'Excuse me?'

'It's a package deal. Ya win; ya get the position as Decimo and an exclusive kick-ass Guardian plus a mini army to ensure your position. You're involved whether you like it or not.' said Shura.

I'm a freakin' _prize?_

THIS IS A VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS.

'So ya get what's going on?'

'Yeah…'

'Great, then let's start training! As the now official soon-to-be-boss, there's gonna be all sorts of assassins after you!'

'Huh?'

'What? Did you really think life's easy? Enemy families are gonna be out to kill you because you're first priority after the boss.' said Shura.

'Why?'

'Ahem. You see, the Moon Guardian's a target for our enemies because in the past, Moon Guardians eliminated enemies for the Vongola Family from the shadows and became known as human weapons. Also, because they're the Segreto family boss and we are the second strongest Family in the alliance.'

'Our family is second strongest?'

'Yep. People fear us despite our size. Every member is extraordinarily powerful and if we attack, we can probably eliminate anyone and everyone. Well, maybe not the Vongola, but still...' said Shura.

That…is just scary.

'So how're we going to train?' I asked.

'I'll be working on your skills with weapons while Shura works on other skills that a member of our family must have.'

'Like?'

'Ya see this knife? Watch.'

Shura took out a long silver knife and suddenly, it was laced with red flames.

Then she took out a thick metal chain and cleaved it right in half.

'These are Deathperation Flames or Dying Will Flames. As you can see, it is extremely powerful. All members of our family know how to wield them. They are an important factor in future battles.' Shura explained.

I looked at the flames curiously. They reminded me of the flame on Tsuna's head when he's in dying will mode.

'Because you totally lack strength, size, muscles, and everything physical, flames are absolutely necessary if you want to survive.'

I winced at those comments.

As much as I hated to admit it, my strength was lacking extraordinarily and my size was…_very _small.

'I'll be training you to be able to control your flames and use them to increase your body strength and use it in close combat while Luke teaches you how to combine flames and weapons.'

I see…

'We'll be here to get you tomorrow so be prepared!' called Luke as he went towards the door.

'Where are you guys going to stay?' I asked.

'Oh, we'll show you. Communication is quite important after all.'

They walked out the door…and each entered one of the rooms on the sides of mine.

'You guys live _next door?_'

'Yep. If something happens, we'll definitely be around! Ciao!' said Shura as she went into the door on the right of me.

'We pulled some strings to get these rooms. Get a good night's rest. You'll need it.' And then Luke entered the door to the left of mine.

I just stared.

And deadpanned.

Then, I returned to my room…and screamed my lungs out into a pillow about the sheer insanity of everything that happened in the past half hour.

I was a boss.

My ancestor was the Moon Guardian.

I'm a _prize_ in a freaky battle of mafia assassins.

My life was _over_ and I have crazy training starting tomorrow.

Life rocks.

Really, it does…Not.

* * *

><p>'You want me to do <em>what<em>?'

'You heard me. Walk on water.'

At the moment, Shura and I were somewhere in the middle of the mountains at the crack of dawn in front of a water fall and she was telling me that I was to _walk on water_.

'That's impossible.' I said flatly.

'It's possible. Or do you want to walk straight up a cliff? It basically the same principle.' said Shura.

'I have no clue what to do. At least give me some instructions.'

'Weeeeell…First, ya light up a flame on your ring. It should be quite easy, just picture a flame and imagine it on the ring. Then you do the same but concentrate on your feet and summon the flames underneath it to create a thin sheet allowing you to walk on water. Or you can just try flying. It's all the same.'

I deadpanned.

She made it sound _easy._

'Hey, it's easy. Watch.'

Did she just read my mind?

She walked over to the little pool of water and took a stroll as if it was dry land.

'See?'

Okay, that _does _look easy.

Then she started walking up the freakin' _waterfall_ while whistling a cheerful tune.

I just deadpanned. Again.

SHOWING OFF IS UNESSACARY. YOU'RE MAKING ME FEEL WORSE.

Alright, first things first.

Light up the rings.

I stared at the ring on my finger and imagined a flame on it.

I concentrated _really_ hard, put all my strength into it, closed my eyes, focused…and failed.

Nothing.

Not even a spark.

How the heck do you do this?

'Hey, if ya can't even light up a flame you have no hope of getting stronger!' called Shura.

'Can you give me a couple more hints?' I asked.

It was hopeless at this rate!

'Resolve. What make you determined? What makes your blood boil? Think about it.'

Resolve?

What makes me determined?

Well, I'm fighting for survival here but that wasn't it.

What makes my blood boil?

Losing.

The utter humiliation I suffered when Squalo defeated me absolutely pissed me off.

It was a disgrace to my family and my dignity was totally shattered when I passed out cold on the battle field like a weak little girl.

I _will_ become stronger!

I will _not_ shame my family name!

Suddenly, the ring glowed as my conviction increased as I thought about the past events.

About my parents.

How they died and what they protected.

The pride of our family.

I was the boss wasn't I?

What sort of boss loses in such a pathetic way?

As I was thinking this, the flames increased and spilled out of the ring.

They were pure white flames, tinted with silver and lighting up my face.

'Oi, oi! Calm down! You're gonna destroy the place!' yelled Shura.

I blinked and snapped out of my trance-like state and the flames diminished to a little ember flickering on my ring.

The area around me was swirling and slightly cold.

Did I do that? Wow…

'That was great for a first time. Your resolve is firm and unwavering. Now you just have to control it or else you're gonna blow something up accidentally.'

Opps…But how was I supposed to know?

'Alright, the feeling of the flames should be dented in your memory. Concentrate and try to create the same sensation in your feet and then walk on water.

I nodded and took a deep breath.

Concentrate…Concentrate…I think I've got it!

I walked over to the little pool, took a step…and failed.

I went down with a splash and came up coughing water.

'Hahahaha! Keep trying!' Shura called from the top of the waterfall.

Aw, damn that was embarrassing!

I thought I got the hang of it!

'You need more flames than that! It has to be enough to support your own weight or else you'll fall for sure!'

I pouted and took off my jacket, shoes, and socks, leaving myself in a tank top and shorts.

Apparently, I should have done this from the start and avoid getting drenched.

CON-CEN-TRATE.

I tried again, this time, making sure that I felt more power than last time, I took a step.

My eyes widened.

I did it!

I was floating on the water!

Huh?

I started feeling myself sinking and ten seconds later I plummeted into the pool.

'_Cough, cough!'_

I climbed back onto the rocky shore and tried to clear my throat.

What the heck?

I'm pretty sure I floated.

'Oh, you got it? Good, now you have to _stay_ on the water for at least 20 minutes without falling. Wake me up when you're done!'

You little-!

You're just gonna sleep while I train my butt off?

Some tutor…

I scowled and tried again.

After about 30 seconds, I was getting wobbly and I immediately fell in.

How the heck does she do it?

And what was I doing wrong?

Well, since trying and failing every time wasn't going to help me, I sat on the rock and thought about what I could do.

Add more flames?

That might work.

This time, I concentrated so hard that I could see almost see faint, transparent flames around my legs as I walked over to the pool.

It worked.

Sorta.

Instead of falling after a few seconds, the water underneath my feet was blown away and huge waves started forming and I lost my footing and fell.

Again.

'Oi, don't waste your flames! You'll run out of energy if you do that!' Shura called.

I thought she was napping?

Well, I _did_ create a rather loud bang when I blasted the water…

Okay, so if I put in too _much_ flames, I'll blow away the water.

If I put too _little_ flames, I'll fall straight in.

It had to be absolutely perfect so I could float but at the same time, don't waste flames.

I could tell that creating flames costed quite a bit of energy.

I tried over and over for hours until my time extended to 5 minutes and 35 seconds.

I was soaked to the bone but at least I was improving, right?

* * *

><p>The sun was high in the sky and I guess it was around noon.<p>

I was about to go again when Shura called,

'Oi, take a break! You need to replenish your energy or else you're gonna pass out at some point!'

Huh?

Well, I was feeling dizzy and it took more effort to summon flames so I guess she had a point.

She jumped down and took out a little box.

'Let's have some lunch.'

She opened the box to reveal sandwiches and some orange juice.

I took one and dug in.

Food…It's been so long…

'Jeez, talk about overkill. Your flames are totally exhausted. I can hardly feel anything from you.'

Huh?

I looked at her questioning while taking a bite of my sandwich.

'Everyone has flames. It's like condensed energy and if you train yourself, you can detect them.'

Oh…Great to know, now gimme another sandwich.

'Can I have another one?'

'Go ahead.'

I took a sip of juice and continued eating.

Food has never tasted so good before.

'You ravenous aren't you? It's perfectly normal. Using flames kill more energy than physical movements so you need to eat or rest to replenish your energy. However, you should be used to this kinda stuff from training with Luke and the others last year.'

True.

Alicia gave me exercises that challenged the mind while toning the body such as handing upside down while memorizing documents.

Then, without a break, I moved straight into weapons and combat training so I was used to being run ragged.

I was feeling better already and I was prepared for more.

'Hey, how many minutes can you stay on water so far?'

'Around five and a half.'

'Hmm..that's good. Try to reach ten by the end of the day. If ya ever feel dizzy, make sure to stop and take a break because that means you're at your limit.'

'Alright.'

I continued my training cycle.

I found that it was easier to hold my position when I close my eyes, relax, and use mind power.

It was like burning energy with your brain.

My clues that my flames were fading was when my legs start to feel wobbly.

That's when I increase my flames and try to keep going.

I had noticed that when I'm doing it right, a transparent, but controlled, circle of flames surround my legs(I can tell because of the way the water parts) and when it starts losing its shape, it means I'm losing concentrating and was getting distracted.

Using these tips, my time gradually extended and I was floating on the water calmly without as much effort as it took in the beginning.

Truth to be told, I liked it.

It was quiet with an occasional bird chirp and sounds of splashing water.

The peaceful-ness helped my concentration but I was distracted when I heard a 'boom' in the distance.

Instantly, I plummeted into the pool and had to start all over.

'What was that?' I sputtered after recovering.

'That would be Decimo's Guardians training. Also, get dressed. Luke's training is gonna start soon and he should be on his way.'

I nodded and put on my clothes.

It made perfect sense.

Flame training in the day and weapons training at night.

And it seems I get a little break in between.

'Oi, here's some water, kid.' said Shura as she tossed a bottle over.

'Thanks' I caught the bottle and took a sip.

It must be to replenish my energy after using so much flames.

I sat down on a nearby rock and asked,

'Is Luke's training taking place here as well?'

'Yeah. This clearing is alright for both types of training and after you process in both, you'll be fusing what you learned.'

Fusing?

I see.

Shura was teaching me how to handle flames and control them for close combat while Luke was improving my weapons skills so when they fuse, I'll be quite strong in both close combat and weapons.

I was looking forwards to that.

'Hey guys! Sorry I'm late! I got held up lugging this thing up here!' Luke's voice called.

Lugging this thing?

Did he bring training equipment?

He was approaching I could make him out.

But behind him was…a giant collection of all blades known to mankind?

What the heck kind of training does he have planned for me?

* * *

><p><strong>I hope the Guardian position was okay.<strong>

**I did it so the plot wouldn't change too much and the position actually made since.**

**I mean, there's a Sun Guardian right? Doesn't a Moon Guardian make sense?**

**Don't worry about Mei turning too strong if she learns flames.**

**I know you're probably thinking she's getting ahead of the KHR characters but trust me, she's not.**

**Did you notice that the flames weren't strong enough to be visible and pure? It just gives her attacks some more power behind it.**

**I wanted to do something for her lack of strength. Plus, Tsuna's doing extreme flame training so yeah...**

**I hope it's alright with you guys...**

**Please review and tell me your opinion!**


	11. I'm Introduced To Flames and a New Tutor

**Thanks for all reviews, faves, alerts.**

**Moving on to the story...**

* * *

><p>I deadpanned.<p>

Shura stared.

'…Luke. What the _heck _is that?' I asked, staring at the objects behind him.

'It's your weapons!'

'Umm…I'm quite sure I can't carry that many with me.'

Yeah, my growth would be stunted and I want to grow at least 5 inches more…

'Oh, you won't be carrying all of them. You're going to learn to master them!'

LIKE THAT'S ANY BETTER.

'Well, looks like this is gonna be fun! Good luck, I'll be watching from that tree over there!' said Shura as she hastily walked off.

NO, DON'T LEAVE MEEEEEEE…deserter.

Well, Luke _is_ famous for Spartan training methods after all…

'Why do I need so many?' I asked as Luke started pulling out the weapons and organizing them on a mysterious blanket that appeared out of nowhere.

'Well, you're the Moon Guardian are you not? There are many phrases of the moon. Just as the moon changes, you'll be changing weapons to suit the situation at hand.'

'Okay…but is that many necessary?'

Yeah, making me master tons of weapons just because there are different phases of the moon is messed up.

'Yep. I've picked up every bladed weapon I could think of and brought them over. You're gonna master at least eight of them so take your pick!'

I deadpanned.

'_Eight.'_

'Yep. What's with the look?'

'I understand that you want me to represent my element but isn't this taking it a _bit_ too far?'

'No, of course not! I'm not asking you to dye your hair white, am I? Now _that_ would be taking representation to a whole new level…Besides, you should learn to master as many weapons as possible in case your preferred weapon isn't around! You'll only be specializing in just one, okay?'

Sigh.

Looks like there's no way out of this mess so might as well deal with it.

It can't be that bad, right?

* * *

><p>I took a good look at the weapons he brought over.<p>

In the end, I choose the bladed staff, dagger, knife, kunai, suriken, sword, iron fan, (I never knew fans could be so sharp…and how come the thing's almost as tall as me?) and spear.

Trust me, I'll never master all of them and the only ones I'm good with are the sword and dagger…and kunai when the occasion calls for it.

'Is this enough?' I said while handing over the chosen weapons.

'Yeah that should do. Which one do you want to start with?'

I looked at the vast array of weapons.

Which one did I like the best?

Actually, which one is least likely to land me in the mental ward for being traumatized by insane teaching methods?

If I had to pick…I'd say the dagger.

It's the first weapon I was taught to use and it was my best.

The sword came pretty close, though (they're practically the same anyways so who cares?).

I picked up the dagger and show it to Luke.

'Great, now see that builder? Chop it in half.'

WHAT?

'E-Excuse me?'

'That's right. You know how to use flames right? Put it into your sword and slice it in half. It should be easy.'

Yeah, for _you_ maybe.

Me?

Not in a million years…Okay, maybe if I train long enough I can but _still._

'Luke.'

'Yes?'

'You _do_ know that I only learned about flames a couple hours ago, right?'

'Yeah. Your point is?'

'_This is impossible for me.'_

'Well, I suppose I should give you some tips. Think of the blade as an extension of your arm and imagine your flames running through it. Or concentrate enough flames on your arm and break the boulder through brute force. Although the former would probably be a better option for someone like you.'

Uh…THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT.

'Luke. _That's still impossible._'

'Fine, I'll give you a demonstration.'

He took the dagger, swung, and chopped the boulder into perfect halves.

It fell apart and crumbled instantly.

This guy…is _not_ human.

'See? I told you. If you're still so unconfident, use a smaller boulder. There's plenty to go around.'

No wonder our training takes place in the mountains.

I gave in and headed towards a rock about the size of a small pillow.

'Hey, it's gotta be bigger than that. At least something a 3 feet tall.' He said, gesturing at the many rocks around the waterfall.

'Can I _please_ start easy? I don't want to accidently break an arm.'

He stared at me for a few moments as if willing me to change my mind and then sighed.

'Fine, you can start small but you're not going until you break a boulder that's at least 3 feet tall and 3 feet wide.'

'Alright.'

* * *

><p>This…is downright insane.<p>

Then again, the mafia is filled with utterly insane and power-crazy freaks with superiority complexes so I guess this isn't that insane?

Whatever.

I took the little dagger, and stared at it.

Okay, so charge my flames into it, right?

Can't be that hard.

Here goes…

I concentrated until I could feel the faint flow of power and swung my blade at the rock.

The results…were absolutely pathetic.

There is no other way to describe it.

I created a crack about 7 inches long and 2 millimeters deep.

I stared.

_That's it?_

Luke looked at me incredulously.

'At least _try._'

I'M TRYING.

I lifted the dagger, took a stance, and _this_ time, I charged up more, concentrated like crazy while picturing a flaming sword, and swung.

The results were…still absolutely pathetic.

The rock's crack deepened and reached about half way to the middle and it looked like someone was trying to saw it apart but stopped half way.

Luke facepalmed and said,

'You know what, use a sword. Or a spear. Just something bigger. That should make the amount of flames you can put into it increase.'

I nodded and exchanged my dagger for my necklace.

'I can use this, right?'

'Hm? Sure. While you're at it, use a bigger boulder. The one that's half cracked is no good.'

I walked over to a different boulder, about 2 and a half feet tall and 1 foot wide.

I summoned the sword, charged up my flames, concentrated within an inch of my life, and swung down with all my strength.

The results…were slightly better.

This time, I have made a good sized fissure and it reached 3 quarters of the way down.

Just one more feet and I would have split it.

'Good. Now keep at it until you can break a boulder your size.'

What?

THAT'LL TAKE FOREVER YOU HEARTLESS JERK HOW CAN YOU DO THIS TO ME I THOUGHT YOU WERE NICE I WANNA SLEEEEEEEPPPP!

* * *

><p><em><strong>~Couple Days Later with Tsuna After Mei Endures Crazy Training~<strong>_

'_Then we'll come over with our essays later.' said Kyoko._

'_All right!'_

'_Why do you look so pervy, no-good Tsuna?' said Hana accusingly._

'_You were here, Kurokawa?'_

'_Of course I'm here! I'm in the same group as you! And I can't leave my best friend in the hands of a truant kid like you.'_

'_Now, now, Hana…We'll see you later, Tsuna-kun!'_

_**~Back to Mei~**_

There past few days…were horrible.

Flame training is waaaay harder than it seems.

My brain feels like it was pummeled by a 10 ton hammer whereas my body is lacking any and all energy considering it was all used up from making flames.

Somehow, in some way, I had completed the ridiculous tasks my tutors set me and earned a one day vacation.

Trust me, the pain was _horrid_.

I nearly broke my arm from using the swords/spears/staffs/other random stuff that I really don't give a crap about and I now have an immense dislike of water, waterfalls, mountains, and anything that reminds me of everyday torture in any remote way.

After I successfully managed to break a rock my size and stand on water for 2o minutes, the two of them agreed that I needed some time to recover and experience normal life and thus allowed me one day of normal-ness.

Oh, I am _so_ going to make the best of that.

School sounded like a gift from heaven compared to what's happened to me in the past 3 days.

However, since I have now branded myself as the unluckiest person in the world, something just _had_ to ruin it for me.

That _something_ came in the form of Sawada Tsunayoshi and his cronies with a sadistic, talking baby on top (Literally. Reborn's always on top of Tsuna).

What happened?

Well, first, the Tuna of the school (*cough*, Tsuna,*cough*) came to me with his best friends and asked me to come over to have some quality time together.

Being the soft-hearted freak of nature I was, I couldn't say no to those big, innocent, puppy-dog eyes so I said,

'Um…Sure.'

Whereas on the inside, I was screaming about how my well-deserved rest was blown into thousands of little shards that was later vaporized and sent into another dimension.

After all my experience, I knew chances of things being _normal_ in that house was just about as likely as pigs flying around in little angel costumes in the middle of the day while singing hymns.

It other words, normal-ness was utterly non-existent in any and all means.

Tsuna being the dense idiot he was had no idea that every time he tried to include me in the group, I _suffered_.

When I say suffered, I don't just mean I-am-in-pain-and-I-hate-life suffering.

Oh, _no._

I meant as in, I-get-subjected-to-the-new-medival-torture-called-the-Sawada-household-of-unending-chaos-and-madness sort of suffering.

That is a very good way to describe my current situation.

However, before I tell you what's going on, I should let you know about the following things.

1. I'm not deaf but…

2. After living in a house full of Mafioso, you learn to tune things out.

3. Because there are daily explosions, screams, booms, and sometimes mini-earthquakes.

4. Unfortunately, that had nothing to do with getting front row seats on watching mad men letting out their anger on dim-witted mechanics so naturally, when it happened, I couldn't tune it out.

5. Oh my! I just got thrown into a room with a crazy, bomb throwing maniac, an annoying cow, a freakishly strong baby with a superiority complex, and a slightly dense mechanic in a weird machine who managed to piss off both of them and induce their un-ending wrath of madness and pain.

Conclusion: I hate my life.

Yep, I was sitting in a room with a group of crazy people beating the crap out of other crazy people surrounded by various weapons of all sorts and desperately trying and failing to tune things out.

Today just so happened to be the day Kyoko comes over to share essays and so, being the kind-hearted soul I was, I had volunteered to stay in the room and keep an eye on things as to not spoil Tsuna's little meeting.

Did I actually fulfill my duty?

No.

Of course not.

One does not talk back to the strongest hitman in the world without a good reason and the same applies for equally crazy dynamite freaks and because I valued my life, I stood back and watched as they let out their rage on the poor mechanic and wreck Tsuna's room as well.

'Hey, be quiet!' Tsuna cried as he charged into the room.

Apparently, he heard what was going on and came to stop it.

'Yoyoyoyoyoyo~'

Ah, right.

Poor mechanic in weird machine is in the air.

'Tsuna, above you.' I warned.

'ARRGGGH!'

Too late, the said mechanic fell on him.

'10th, please save me!' he cried.

'Listen to this, 10th! He made all our weapons useless!' said Gokudera.

Oh, so that's why you guys are pissed…

'W-What are you doing, Giannini-san?'

Giannini?

If I recall correctly he has a rare skill of screwing up anything he touches…

'That's why I told you I'm no match for my father!'

Oh, right.

His father is an expert mechanic known for his ability to awaken weapons as opposed to his utterly hopeless son.

And so started the argument between mechanic and hitman that was interrupted by the stupid cow.

Naturally, when you mix dynamite users and grenade users, an explosion is bond to occur.

And this time, the source of the explosion was the 10-year Bazooka.

When the smoke cleared…Lambo was still the same old useless crybaby.

This guy is seriously just breaking all the weapons…Wait, it that _Gokudera_ in his child form?

Somehow, he doesn't seem to know that he shrunk.

Personally, I thought the pathetic form suited him very much and it visibly reduced the amount of damage he can create.

I sighed and looked out the window in hopes of escaping reality.

Was that movement just now? I must be imagining things…

'Mei, can you stay in here? I don't want to cause more trouble!' Tsuna said.

'Sure.'

Hmmm…Is that Yamamoto coming over with sushi?

And was that Ryohei climbing over the fence and waving from the yard?

He needs to learn about the existence of doors…Then again, I'm not one to talk considering I jump out of windows on daily basis.

Couple minutes later there were screams downstairs.

Should I investigate?

Probably not…

Oh, hey, Basil and Ipin are coming over! More crazy people to deal with!

Well, at least it's sort of quiet if you tune out the screams and crashes…

Meh, what a nice vacation…Training starts tomorrow and it's gonna be a drag…

* * *

><p>'<em>What<em>?'

'We're going to start sparring today.'

'With _you?'_

'Yes. You're going to use your best weapons and try to defeat me. After all the flame training, you should be able to strengthen your attacks much more.'

Well that made sense but…

'You're going to be encountering far stronger opponents from now on. You must learn to cope and grow stronger through each battle. Do you understand?'

I nodded.

He had once told me that all-out battle is the fastest way to improve and my one-week sparring session with Hibari confirmed that.

As much as I hated it, it was definitely the best way to improve fast.

And thus, our mock sparring began.

_**~With Tsuna~**_

'_I thought I was gonna die.' said Tsuna._

'_Thou has much talent, Sawada-dono. I see why master has such high expectations for thee.' said Basil._

_They had a short discussion about Basil's master and arrived home._

'_I'm back.'_

'_Welcome home.' said Iemitsu._

'_D-Dad? You're awake? That's pretty rare…'_

'_Good timing, I was about to head off.'_

'_Going somewhere?'_

'_Yeah, uninvited guests arrived sooner than we thought.'_

'_Is that true, Iemitsu?' said Reborn urgently._

'_The information was sent from a shadow I left in the homeland.'_

_They had a talk and revealed to Tsuna that his dad was Basil's master._

_Tsuna went into panic mode and Reborn told him who his Lightning Guardian was._

_**~Back to Mei~**_

'Let's stop now.' said Luke.

I was covered in sweat but I wasn't wounded with the exception of some bruises.

Luke was going all out with a wooden sword so I took the hits but came out uninjured.

When I asked why, he said that he couldn't afford to injure me badly in case I run into trouble on my own and cannot fight back when a situation arises.

That made sense, but if you're gonna be like that, then how about you just cancel training altogether?

Shura had gone off somewhere and didn't come back.

'Mei, go back to town. I need to check something out.'

'Okay.'

I wiped my sweat headed to town.

What a day…the sparing session was tough but why do I feel like Luke was distracted during practice?

He was usually much more intense and I usually end up beat-up, pissed off, and screaming insulting sarcasm in my head…

Suddenly, I ran behind a wall and minimized my presence.

A man in a dark cloak, dark shoes, dark hair, and dark everything with an ridiculously shiny looking weapon went by and I recognized the little badge on his uniform.

Holy crap, the Varia has arrived!

I should find Tsuna and Reborn…

As I made my painfully slow way to their house, I heard a piercing scream and headed that way instead because common sense tells me when someone screams you should help or have it stuck in your conscience for the rest of your life about leaving some old lady to die of a heart attack or something…

'Futa, Ipin, Lambo!' I cried as I caught sight of them.

The cloaked man was in front of them and I couldn't make it in time!

'_Pow!'_

'Vongola's Guardian of the Sun and Collonello's number one student, Sasagawa Ryohei has arrived!' proclaimed Ryohei.

Nice timing.

I slowed my stride and stopped next to him.

'Nice work.'

'THANKS TO THE EXTREME!'

Yeah, now please stop breaking my ear drums because I like listening to music.

'Onni-san…'

Oh, Tsuna was here as well.

'Mei! What are you doing here?' He asked as he noticed my utterly unimportant presence.

'My training ended and I heard a scream. You're aware of the enemies in the city right?'

Yep, he should be.

Either that or the world's best hitman's skills have dropped considerably since the last time I saw him (which happens to be yesterday…)

He nodded wordlessly.

Another Varia member came and was taken down by Yamamoto and the third by Gokudera.

Tsuna went and made sure the kids were okay and I looked at Reborn.

'They're here, aren't they?'

'Yes.' He said, the shadow of his hat hiding his eyes.

'They certainly were weaker than I imagined.' said Ryohei.

Don't make false assumptions, dunce…

'That's naïve. There are low ranks within the Varia. The really fearsome ones are- Uh!'

I spun around too as I felt deadly killing intent being emitted in a nearby bush.

The great Levi a Than came out and made his epic appearance and then said,

'Did you do this? Who holds the Lightning Ring? Is it the curly haired brat?'

'I-It's not! This is a misunderstanding!' Tsuna exclaimed.

'If you get in my way, I'll kill you.'

'Hold on, Levi.' A new voice interrupted. No way…

The entire freakin' Varia made their overly dramatic appearance and they exchanged words.

And then…Xanxus appeared.

King of evil and doom and mafia and assassins and lots of other stuff.

His aura was crushing and his hand glowed.

His allies seemed unsettled to the extreme and I could sense powerful flames gathering.

Oh man, I should get the hell out of here…

Just as he was about to attack, something flew by and shattered the ground.

It was…a pickax?

WHAT THE HECK?

* * *

><p>'Hold on, Xanxus. That's enough. I'll take charge from here.'<p>

Ah…Sawada Iemitsu, The External Advisor.

It's about time you show up and do something…

He announced that he was waiting for a response from the Ninth and read his letter out loud.

It seemed that the Ninth choose Xanxus while Iemitsu chose Tsunayoshi and the successor will be decided by a means everyone can agree on.

I already knew all this crap since Luke and Shura gave me an extra-long explanation about what happened.

All that was left was the method of deciding.

'It will be decided through…A one-on-one battle between those who hold the same type of ring!'

Oh heck no.

Tsuna…is screwed.

'A battle?' Tsuna exclaimed.

'Yeah. After that, it said to wait for instructions.'

Instructions…Maybe those Cervello people Shura was talking about?

'Sorry to keep you waiting.' Two voices called in unison.

Two creepily identical women appeared and announced that they will be the judges of the contest just as Shura said.

They told us their identities and held up the Ninth's direct orders.

Do they have a pompous attitude?

Cuz it certainly seemed like that…

'In addition to the position as the successor, the winning side will receive the newly appointed Moon Guardian as well as her forces.'

Iemitsu's eye's narrowed and Reborn made a small shocked noise.

Varia looked quite surprised as well and I was going 'Aw, crap, here comes my death sentence' in my head.

'The Moon Guardian? Many generations had failed to find one yet now the Moon Guardian is to be awarded to the winning side of this conflict?' said Iemitsu.

Yes, I know.

It's stupid, but my pride of my family won't just let me ditch the damn position…

'Yes. Someone has fit the requirements and a 10th Generation Moon Guardian has been found.'

Yep, she's standing right here.

'Who is it?' said Reborn.

'Kurogane, Mei the Boss of the unofficial Segreto Family has the completed Moon Ring and will be joining the winning side of the conflict.'

'EH?' Tsuna exclaimed.

Reborn's eyes were covered by his hat and everyone looked at me in shock.

'Mei! Is that true?' Tsuna asked.

He looked absolutely mortified.

I nodded wordlessly and held up my hand to show the completed Moon Ring.

'No way…' murmured Yamamoto.

'Kurogane…' said Ryohei.

'Oi, Why didn't you tell us?' yelled Gokudera.

I didn't answer and looked at the Cervello instead.

They went on and said that everyone was to show up at 11 at the Namimori Middle School for later directions and then left.

'H-Hold on that's-!' Tsuna tried to say something but Xanxus death glared him and he shut up.

Everyone parted after that.

* * *

><p><em><strong>~Next Morning with Tsuna~<strong>_

_Was everything a dream? He wondered._

_Nope._

_Reborn framed the Ninth's order and the ring was on his finger._

_Tsuna recapped about what happened yesterday._

_Mei was a Mafia boss... as well as a Guardian. _

_Not to mention she was to go with the winning side of the battle._

_Of all people, why her? WHY?_

_His dear friend's future was in his hands and he wasn't even sure he could come out of this alive!_

_Tsuna started panicking all over again and Reborn agreed that it was dangerous._

_If Iemitsu didn't choose him, then Xanxus would've just killed him._

_Surprisingly, Reborn told him to go to school._

_**~Back to Mei~**_

I lay on my stomach in bed thinking about the tragic, depressing, life-threatening, dangerous, negative, crazy_, ridiculous_ events that happened yesterday.

My identity was out.

I hoped that Tsuna wasn't too upset about it because I didn't want a depressed little kid to get himself killed because of me.

I can't control who I was after all.

There was a knock on the door and I opened it.

'Oh, Luke. Are you here to talk about training?'

'No. I'm here to inform you that training is cancelled for this week. Shura and I need to go to Italy. Something urgent came up.'

My eyes widened.

They were leaving at a time like this?

What the heck could be so urgent?

However, I knew better than to ask about this kinda stuff so I just nodded and waved good-bye.

I guess I'll go to school tomorrow.

I can always train by myself, can't I?

Besides, I should visit Tsuna.

* * *

><p>I saw Tsuna on the road with Yamamoto and it seemed like I shouldn't interrupt their little happy moment of boy bonding.<p>

Gokudera also showed up with a big box of what seemed like paper airplanes and Tsuna seemed to cheer up.

That was good…For me.

In the classroom, I went to talk to Tsuna.

'Tsuna…I'm sorry I didn't tell you.' I said.

Might as well get the stupid apologies over with to avoid the grueling task of swallowing my pride some other time…

'It's okay! I mean, it must have been hard for you to bear that position in secret all this time! I'm glad that we know now!'

'Oh…'

I was kinda glad he wasn't mad at me.

'Tsuna. Don't give up. There's always hope.'

Okay, that's sappy, stupid, cheesy, and really, really lame but I wanted to get him motivated.

And I don't care if I sound like an idiot in the process.

If they were gonna fight, it's better to be motivated than spirit-less.

Also, I don't want a future filled with killer assassins who don't give a crap about my well-being.

At least Tsuna and his little group cared right? (At least somewhat…I think.)

I smiled a little bit and went to my desk.

I hope that helped (and if it didn't, well screw you all because I did not just say something utterly lame and cheesy for no reason whatsoever…)

As much as I hated to admit it, it hurt to see him so upset (rub it in and I swear I will kill you…)

Kyoko and Hana came and talked to him about something.

He seemed flustered and nervous and I wondered what they were talking about.

Ryohei came over and manhandled Sawada away by the neck.

Ah, poor Tunafish enduring the extreme boxing idiot this early in the morning…

And the day ended peacefully.

I think.

I really wouldn't know because I can't tell the difference between normal and crazy anymore considering normal now translates into crazy but real normal-ness seemed downright boring and craziness was interesting but normal is crazy but...Yeah, I'm probably getting you confused right now so I'll stop right here before your brain explodes…

Can't wait for tonight…

* * *

><p><strong>And so, Tsuna finds out about Mei's position!<strong>

**I'm going on vacation for a week so the next update might be a little late but not too much...I hope.**

**If I'm really late, I'll do extra long chapters to make up for it...**

**Ciao!**

**Please Review and grant me eternal happiness**

**l**

**l**

**V**


	12. And Then I Get Kidnapped

**I finally updated TT_TT**

**It took forever, but I completed the extra long chapter I promised to make-up for all the editing and lack of updates.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>It was 11 at night and I was SUPPOSED to be with the group watching the Sun Battle I was recently informed about.<p>

Why wasn't I?

Well, it seems that someone was caring enough to try to kill me three times over in the past 6 hours so I was busy dodging bullets, knives, blades, spears, and... was that a tree?

Whatever, they must be desperate.

Now then, why was I currently surrounded by assassins dead set on killing me?

It seemed that the reason Luke and Shura left was to aid to the Vongola in a mission (Or something. I didn't get the details.)

Before they left, they were nice enough to tell me that many families have their own unique views about the fact that a little girl was to be the all-famous Moon Guradian and apparently the top three conclusions are;

1. I was some kind of super deadly human weapon that the Vongola obtained and must be destroyed at all costs (I AM A KID AREN'T I? I ONLY TRAINED FOR ONE YEAR, PEOPLE!)

2. The Segretos's boss is currently weak and had to relie on the Vongola (how the heck did news travel so fast? I thought I only accepted the position three days ago...)

3. I was some sort of evil child genius who made my way into the Vongola to take over the mafia and strengthen my own family (how the HECK did that happen? Are all mafioso so delusional?)

And thus, I was on the receiving end of many assassination attempts for the past few hours and my family couldn't interfere due to certain circumstances.

It seems that all opposing mafia families were trying to kill me before the epic Ring Battles end so that the position will remain unoccupied.

Apparently, it was an unspoken timed contest that was practically testing my worth as the Moon Guardian because after a winner is declared, I'll be under protection of the Vongola Family (Sorta. At least there should be less assassination attempts).

So basically, I just had to hold out until the Ring Battles end.

Luckily, so far, only the tiny, worthless families came up with such insane assumptions so the assassins weren't exactly strong...yet.

I haven't had to use my blade yet and I could handle them with my gloves.

Training was obviously paying off because it seemed that my close combat skills had skyrocketed extremely.

Now, just to let you know, at the moment, I was taking care of three minor mafioso in the middle of the night on a random rooftop while thinking about what I could have possibly done in my past life to deserve such unending miseries in this one...

Whoa, that was close. Almost got hit by a bullet...

I ducked and knocked the dude out cold with a uppercut.

The other two came at me simultaneously and I jumped, flipped, and knocked them out by nailing them on the neck with the classic karate chop.

I searched over their unconscious bodies and found some sort of identification.

Hmm... Rossio Family huh?

They're somewhere in France...

So far, my ritual was to send the assassins back via cargo ships.

Boxes make excellent disposals for unconscious bodies.

I just have to tie them up, dump them in a box, and wave while they suffer an extra long trip in a cramped, stinky box to receive whatever lies in store for them when their boss hears of their failed mission.

Hey, I didn't kill them, did I? And I made sure to poke airholes...

I sighed as I realized that there was no way I would make it back in time for the battle since my encounters with deadly assassins had taken me from roof to roof and then from town to town.

I'm pretty sure that I was in some random town neighboring Namimori...

Now I just had to find my way back with the trusty aid of my awesome mafia cell phone and hope that Tsuna and the others are okay...

**_~Meanwhile with Tsuna~_**

_'Ahh! Where's Mei?' he cried as he was internally panicking._

_Please tell me nothing happened! He thought as he ran his fingers through his hair._

_I can't believe she's actually a mafia boss!_

_She's the Moon Guardian and I never had a clue!_

_What if the Varia did something to her?_

_Actually, if we don't win, she'll be doomed!_

_Why did she have to be the prize of this thing?_

_She's always protected me and was by my side, but now..._

_We have to win this!_

_I can't just let her be sold off to the Varia like some sort of grand prize!_

_Not after everything she's done for me!_

_Please let her be safe..._

_'Where the hell is vampire girl?' Gokudera growled._

_'Maa, maa, I'm sure she has her reasons.' said Yamamoto._

_The match started between Ryohei and Lussuria and Tsuna and the gang watched with bated breath._

_In the end, Ryohei won when Kyoko arrived and round one of the epic ring battles ended._

_Next up was the Lightning Battle._

_After everyone was gone, Tsuna was having a talk with Reborn._

_'Reborn, why wasn't Mei at the battle?' he worriedly asked._

_'Who knows...anything could have happened.'_

_'No way!' Tsuna exclaimed._

_'Tsuna, the Moon Guardian is a very dangerous position. The fact that she's also the boss of the Segreto Family will add even more danger and many people will be after her. The Vongola has their own problems and the Segretos are forbidden from interfering or helping in any way. She's on her own.'_

_'Mei...' Tsuna murmured._

_He seemed very depressed about his dear friend's situation._

_Suddenly, Reborn sent him a flying kick._

_'Dame-Tsuna, stop worrying about her. She's strong, responsible, and can handle things by herself. Do her a favor and win the ring battle so she doesn't have to be forced into the Varia.'_

_'O-Okay.' Tsuna stammered while rubbing his head._

_Silly Tsuna, don't get emotional on Reborn unless you want to be ignored and bluntly corrected._

_**~Back to Mei~**_

Finally!

Home sweet home!

After checking the room for traps, bugs ,cameras and possible sniper openings (Yes, I am that paranoid. Better safe than sorry), I dropped down on my bed and passed out before I even changed my clothes (I AM TIRED. DONT BLAME ME. I TOOK ON THREE ASSASSIN SQUADS).

Later, I woke up...in the middle of the night to the sounds of creaking and squeaks that spelled intruder.

I immediately got up, hid near the door, and tried to identify the location of the intruder.

I could faintly make out shadows and human forms in my living room.

They were gonna attack me in the middle of the night?

How desperate are these guys?

I took out a dagger (Luke gave me a new stock of weapons! I am armed! Mwuhahaha!) and creeped towards them.

Suddenly, a hand with some sort of wet, soggy material with a nasty stench covered my mouth and nose and I could feel my consciousness rapidly fading.

Shit!

It was a trap!

The were trying to kidnap me!

I saw the rest of them coming and I could make out gleaming badges on their coats.

I was helpless as I passed out due to inhaling the drug and surrendered to whatever miserable fate lies ahead.

My last thought went something along the lines of_, screw the world, damn it. SCREW THE WORLD._

_**~With Tsuna~**_

_'That vampire girl is missing again!' yelled Gokudera._

_It was the second battle Mei missed and no one had seen hide nor hair of her ever since the Ring battles started._

_'I'm sure she'll be fine...' Tsuna murmured. Maybe she got a cold or something..._

_The Lightning Battle had started and Lambo went from ten year later to twenty year later._

_Just as he was about to win, he changed back into 5year form and was about to be killed._

_Tsuna indirectly interfered and in the process, they lost both the Sky and Lightning Rings._

_It seemed that Xanxus did something to the Ninth and Iemitsu and Reborn were dead pissed._

_The next battle was to be the Storm Battle._

_Iemitsu was to go to Italy to check up on the Ninth and Tsuna and the others went to Lambo._

_Tsuna and the others walked home together while discussing things._

_'So Lambo was still unconsious.' said Ryohei._

_'What do we do? With my ring gone, we're at a disadvantage.' murmured Tsuna._

_Not to mention Mei is still missing..._

_'One win, two losses. If we lose again, that's it.' said Gokudera._

_'And Xanxus seemed like he was plotting something.' added Reborn._

_'Was it alright for me to charge in?' said Tsuna._

_'It was right.' said Reborn._

_'Vongola doesn't need a boss that would abandon his subordinates'_

_'Reborn...I want to become stronger!'_

_'The third phase of training will be even tougher.' he said with a smirk._

* * *

><p><strong><em>~Back to Mei~<em>**

When I woke up, I was sitting in a crappy prison cell.

I was on a bed with white sheets located in the back corner that seemed alright-ish but very,very, small and it was a metal room with only a single light bulb on the roof lighting things up.

There was a small cubicle on the other side and a tap beside it, but besides that, the cell was pretty damn desolate.

The door was solid metal with a tiny keyhole and there was no window whatsoever so I had no idea why I hadn't died of lack of oxygen. (Maybe it comes from the invisible cracks in the wall...)

I banged on the wall and gained no results other than hurting my fists.

Fuck.

Well, at least I'm not I my PJ's.

Good thing I didn't change...

But now wasn't the time to be concerned about the state of my sorry cell or taking care of appearances (Not that I ever look good anyways...)

What on earth was going on?

Who the heck would kidnap me and why didn't they kill me? (Not that I mind. I appreciate life despite its unending crappy-ness)

Also, where the heck am I?

Footsteps echoed and I sat still and strained my ears.

Voices floated in and I could make out some stuff.

'I heard that the Segreto's boss is in there.'

'Seriously? They actually caught her?'

'Yeah. They want to use her to control the rest of the Segreto Family.'

'Heh, it's about time the Segretos get off their high throne. I bet they'll use them to take down the Ninth's Guardians.'

'Yeah, that'll be two birds with one stone!'

Their voices faded as they walked further from my cell.

They were gonna use me against my own family? Along with the Vongola?

HELL NO.

There's no way I'll let that happen!

What can I do?

I took my necklace and brought out my blade.

Charging it up with flames, I brought it down on the hard metal wall with all my strength.

There was...a crack.

WTF?

I broke freakin' GIANT ROCKS and I can't even scratch this door?

I tried again and again with no avail.

I was sweating and the crack deepened but it was no where near enough.

I was dead pissed but there was nothing I could do in this damned cell and obviously, I couldn't escape despite the insane training I was put through.

I lay on the bed and thought.

What could I do?

All my weapons were taken besides my necklace since it had hidden mechanisms.

Wait... hidden mechanisms.

I sat bolt upright and realized that I had overlooked a important possible way of escape.

Call for help.

No, I don't mean screaming my lungs out.

I mean calling for help using technology.

When I first joined, Matt had been totally serious when teaching me the family's private SOS signal.

Every member had an item that was to be worn 24/7 with no exceptions whether it's a necklace, bracelet, hair-clip, of even a belt.

Whatever item it is, it contains a tracking device with a customized signal that can only be picked up by items containing the same device.

The signal is activated when certain movements are made.

When the signal is released, any corresponding item within 100 mile radius should vibrate fiercely and send the location of the SOS call to the nearest electronic device with display functions whether it's a cell phone, laptop, or even Ipod.

I took off my left ear ring and held it in my hand.

I was my only hope of escape.

I twisted the gem on it to the right 3 times and then turned it to the left once.

Please come and help...

The fate of our family is on the line...

_**~Somewhere in Italy with Luke and Shura~**_

Suddenly, Luke's belt buckle vibrated fiercely and Shura's bracelet did the same.

Their eyes widened and they looked at each other.

Luke took out his cell phone and the screen displayed a map of the nearby surroundings.

When he registered the location of the SOS signal his eyes narrowed and his jaw tightened.

'This is bad...' he murmured.

Shura looked over his shoulder and gasped.

'This is-!'

_**~With Tsuna Before Storm Battle~**_

_'Yo!'_

_'You came!'_

_Yamamoto and Ryohei were meeting up with Tsuna and Basil before the match._

_'Kurogane-chan isn't here again...I wonder if something happened' Yamamoto worriedly said._

_'This is extremely unlike her!' proclaimed Ryohei._

_'Again?' Tsuna exclaimed. No way...something must have happened for her to miss all the Ring Battles like this! He thought._

_'Don't worry, Sawada-dono. I'm sure she can take care of herself.' Basil reassured._

_Reborn was quiet as ever._

_'Where's Gokudera?' Tsuna asked._

_'He hasn't come yet.' said Ryohei._

_'We thought he'd come with you.' said Yamamoto._

_'I wonder what happened...' Tsuna murmured._

_First Mei and now Gokudera._

_Lambo was still in coma and Ryohei was injured._

_Mei hasn't showed up for any Ring battles and she doesn't even answer his calls._

_He felt a sinking feeling in his stomach and his Hyper Institution was screaming at him but he couldn't do anything about it._

_Gokudera's match was coming up and that was the issue right now._

_They talked for a while and then entered the school to meet up with the Varia._

_Gokudrea still didn't show up and Varia was getting cocky._

_Everyone was worried, but Gokudera showed up at the last second._

_Bel patted his shoulder and then the Cervello explained the rules of the match._

_The fight began and Gokudera figured out Bel's trick._

_The battle was close, but Gokudera lost when he chose his life over dying for the ring._

_**~Back To Mei~**_

I lay on the bed breathing deeply and trying to restore my flames and energy.

I hoped that someone was within 100 miles of where ever the hell I was.

I sighed as I regained my breath.

What to do...

It'll take at least thirty minutes for anyone to actually make it here from where ever their location might be.

Suddenly, I heard explosions and yells in the distance.

Hurried footsteps echoed into my cell and voices yelled,

'It's an attack! They're going to destroy headquarters!'

There were sounds of gun shots and yells all around and I wondered what the heck was going on.

It was impossible that my Family members could have responded so fast.

Then again, my family excels in doing the impossible.

The explosions seemed to be coming this way and I was on guard.

My door flew open and the smoke cleared to reveal...Shura?

She seemed worse for the wear.

Her hair was messed up, her were clothes torn, and she was pretty sweaty.

'Yo, kiddo! Long time no see! Nice job getting caught!'

'Mei, are you alright?' Luke came in looking pretty ragged and I just stared at them, stupefied.

'L-Luke. And Shura. What are you two doing here? I thought you went on a mission.'

'We _are_ on a mission.' Luke grimly said. 'Our mission was to aid the External Adviser and the CEDEF to investigate about suspicious activities in the Vongola Mansion.'

HOLY FUCK.

Vongola Mansion?

As in THE Vongola Mansion?

Why the hell am I here?

'C'mon kid, talk later, escape first!' Shura yelled as she grabbed me and flung me over her shoulder.

'H-Hey!' I cried.

My dignity just went out the door...

Luke stayed behind and got out some pistols.

He fired at the men in black that were coming our way and took them down with green, lightning-ish bullets that seemed to leave them paralyzed.

He caught up with us and as we ran, he said,

'Mei, why are you here? We were on our way here when we received your SOS signal.'

'I was kidnapped at night.'

'Seriously? Describe the kidnappers in detail.' said Shura as she ran with me on her shoulder.

I CAN WALK, DAMN IT.

PUT ME DOWN.

'One of them drugged me from behind, but they were tall, wearing dark clothes and badges. Can you put me down? I can run.'

Shura put me down and I ran with them.

Explosions sounded behind us and Luke asked me,

'What did the badge look like.'

'It was lined with silver, shaped like a shield, dark with red in the middle, and had black letters on it. I think it started with a V.'

'Fuck.' growled Shura as she threw knives laced with red flames ahead of us to clear the path.

'That was one of the top officers of Varia. Xanxus probably ordered one of the top squads to kidnap you and hide you in the Mansion. It's actually quite smart. They'd never think of looking right under their own noses.'

Xanxus?

Why would he kidnap me?

Oh, wait.

I'm the boss of a powerful family as well as an exclusive guardian who was treated like some sort of grand prize.

Almost forgot.

Of course he'd want me on his side if he was to become the Tenth.

Fuck.

We dived as the nearby wall blew apart and rained dust on us.

'Why are we running?' I coughed out as we got back up and headed forwards. How big is this damned place anyways?

'The Extrenal Adviser went in deep. We're to cause a huge ruckus, get everyone's attention, and let him go in unnoticed through the back door.' said Luke.

Oh, no wonder we're running forwards.

We turned, blasted some walls, and kept going.

'The CEDEF is also causing a ruckus and backing him up. We've got 70% of the mafioso in here chasing after us and now we just have to get the hell outta here!' said Shura as we dodged some bullets and paused to hide behind a wall.

The stream of bullets stopped and Shura and Luke countered with flaming knives and creepy lightning bullets.

We ran ahead and saw a balcony.

Luke and Shura headed that way and jumped off with me following closely.

We were in the surrounding forest and now that I could see the mansion, I could tell that it was quite damaged and banged up.

I regained my breath and asked,

'Now what?'

Luke examined the mansion for a couple more moments before turning to me and Shura.

'Our mission's done. We've distracted the Vongola's forces and messed up the mansion.'

'Great, lets get going then!'

We charged off to the north and I had no clue where we were heading.

'Where are we going?' I asked.

I hate being in the dark...Why am I always the clueless one?

'To the Segreto hideout. It's a few miles away from this area, but we'll be taking the helicopter after we get out of the forest.' replied Luke.

'Keep running. The CEDEF shuold be luring them to the opposite direction, but there could be left over guards.'

Their pace didn't slow, and I was beginning to feel the toll from running around in the winding halls of the vast Vongola headquarters (Not to mention diving from explosions, dodging bullets, and blasting through walls even though that was mostly Shura).

I was more than exhausted and was starting to have trouble keeping up.

It felt like a bloody marathon complete with machine gun wielding men, assassins, mafia, and gory stuff.

I was sweating like crazy and the forest seem to go on forever and ever.

The many wounds (Tons of scratches, scrapes, cuts, burns, ect.) I received in the Vongola Mansion (Due to explosions, bullets, knives, and fire) didn't help at _all_.

Finally, when we'd reached the road, there was a helicopter and a tall man was waiting.

We boarded the helicopter and I collapsed on the seat and fell into deep slumber from (EXTREME)fatigue.

* * *

><p><em><strong>~With Tsuna~<strong>_

_'This is the Ninth?' said Tsuna as he held up a photo._

_There was a friendly looking old man with a puppy on his lap._

_Tsuna, Reborn and Basil chatted for a while._

_'I don't like him! He's the reason this kind of battle started!' _

_'Sawada-dono...'_

_'But there's no point in saying that now. I'll complain to him later, after we defeat Xanxus.'_

_'And make sure that Mei is alright.' He added in his head._

_'Now, let's get training!' He said as he stood up and stretched._

_Reborn talked to him about Squalo and Yamamoto and Tsuna admitted that he was very worried for Yamamoto...and his missing comrade._

**_~Back to Mei~_**

I woke up and looked at my surrondings.

Was I already at the Segreto hideout? And how long was I asleep?

The room was quite plain and homely.

The walls and bed sheets were all white, there was a little closet, and the floor was wooden.

There was a fireplace, a couch, and a small round desk in the middle.

I sat up and looked down to see that I had been changed into a silk sleeping gown.

I blushed went to the closet to look for clothes while wondering who changed me.

There were only women business suits so I took the smallest outfit and put it on.

It consisted of a women's suit and tie with a black skirt that was suited for combat and didn't restrain my legs and thigh high black stockings.

Black, slightly heeled, combat boots completed the outfit and I looked like I was going to a mafia meeting.

After I was done changing, I sat on the couch and the door opened to reveal Shura with a tray of pasta, bread, and water.

'Yo. I see that you've woken up.'

'How long was I asleep?" I asked.

'A couple hours. We're at our hideout and we'll be staying here for today to recover and prepare some stuff.' she handed me the tray and I dug in.

After I finished, I asked,

'Why did Xanxus kidnap me?'

'Well, he must have something big plotted and decided to take you by force. If he wins the Ring battles, it wouldn't matter, but if he loses, he can easily use you as a hostage to threaten the Ninth and destroy the alliance between the two families despite our bonds. It would cause much damage and he can easily take over in all the chaos.'

I nodded.

It made sense.

The conversation I overheard said something about using me against the Ninth and this was probably what they were talking about.

'We'll be taking a car to Venice and going to the airport there. Me and Luke have to report back to headquarters. When you reach Namimori, there should be a old friend waiting for you in the room next door. She'll be helping you with kidnappings and assassinations.'

She?

Who do I know in this family that is a girl...

Alicia?

Maybe.

I've never seen her display her fighting skills but Matt said all out members are trained so it would make sense...

'Great.'

'Get a good night's sleep and be ready to take off tomorrow.'

'Okay.'

And so ended our casual conversation.

* * *

><p><em><strong>~Rain Battle~<strong>_

_Gokudera was badly bandaged up and Xanxus showed up at the match along with Dino._

_Yamamoto was doing good at the beginning but Squalo revealed that he had already once crushed his sword style._

_Yamamoto was badly injured but then he came up with his own move to add to his style and defeated Squalo._

_Later, a shark was released and Squalo supposedly died._

_Xanxus apparently didn't give a crap and laughed at the death of his subordinate._

**_~Later with Tsuna~_**

_Reborn and Colonello discussed Mammon from the Varia while Tsuna trained._

_Tsuna was too worried to train and Reborn sent him off to buy juice._

_On his way, he ran into the Kokuyo Gang and fainted from the shock of seeing his long lost enemies._

_Our glasses freak and animal guy chatted(ish?) with Reborn while Ken kicked Tsuna's unconscious body._

_Their last words were,_

_'Tell Vongola that his Mist Guardian is too good for him.'_

* * *

><p><em><strong>~With Mei, Back in Namimori~<strong>_

I sighed softly as I finally returned home.

I changed back into regular clothes and sat on the sofa, thinking.

It was around noon and the Ring battles should be at 11 at night if the pattern is still the same.

I guess I'll just show up at the school and look for explosions.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang and I looked through the peep hole.

It was Alicia! I had guessed right!

I opened the door...and was subjected to the full-blown hug of death, courtesy of Alicia.

'Meeeeeeeei! I heard you were kidnapped! Are you okay? Are you injured?'

'I'm...fine...' I managed to croak.

She finally let go and said,

'Fancy being next door neighbors with you! Don't worry, no assassin's gonna get past me!'

I nodded and led her into my room.

'How long have you been here?'

'Three days. Ever since the assassins started coming. The family got word of it and they sent me over to protect you since Luke and Shura have to leave.'

'How are the ring battles?'

'Well...Sawada Tsunayoshi won the Sun and Rain whereas Xanxus won the Lightning, Sky, and Storm.'

I raised an eyebrow.

'Are all the Guardians still alive?'

'Yes. Sawada Tsunayoshi interfered to save his child guardian and that was the reason the Sky Ring was lost. Squalo of the Varia died in the Rain battle.'

I nodded.

It was just like Tsuna to do that.

It was actually one of the redeeming points about him (Because he sucks at everything else.)

Squalo died? That's a shock.

Something must have happened because I'm quite sure Yamamoto wouldn't have killed him (He's a cheerful baseball nut. Cheerful baseball nuts don't feed people to sharks).

'Where's the next battle?'

'The Mist Battle is in the gym at 11.'

Seriously?

Oh_ joy._

After she went to her room next door (how do they _do_ that? I'm pretty sure bribery can only go so far...), I took a nap and prepared to go to school at night.

* * *

><p><strong>~<em>School At Night~<em>**

I walked into the gym to come across the scene of Tsuna out cold and the Varia in all their dark epic-ness watching us from the other side of the room.

I heard some stuff like,

'Ushishishi~ That's the Moon Guardian? She might as well join us now~' Creepy prince is getting creepier by the second...

'Hm. Trash.' Thank you for your high opinion of me o'great Xanxus-sama.

Levi didn't comment but he stared at me in a creepy way.

The Varia is just _creepy_.

I hope Tsuna can win the Ring Battles (Because those people are BATSHIT CRAZY. Both physically and mentally)

Who was our Mist Guardian anyways?

I really need to know so I decided to observe in a corner.

Reborn nodded at me as I went by to the wall and watched while Tsuna woke up and his friends talked with him.

The door of the gym opened to reveal...the Kokuyo guys.

HOLY-!

No _way._

Tsuna and everyone who encountered the all famous pineapple head of doom known as Rokudo Mukuro had the same conclusion as I did (which was NOT a good conclusion).

'Could it be...' Yamamoto murmured.

'I can't believe it...is the Mist Guardian...Rokudo Mukuro?' said Tsuna.

Fuck no this can NOT be happening...

'Nay.' A feminine voice replied.

The form in the shadows took off the coat to reveal that it was a girl dressed in the Kokuyo uniform with purple hair and the all too familiar pineapple hairstyle.

'My name is Chrome. Chrome Dokuro.' She said while holding a replica of the trident Mukuro used.

Yes, you are VERY convincing.

You look like Mukuro's long lost sister...

Well, not the face, but maybe it's the hair...yeah, it's the hair.

It's most definitely the epic pineapple hair (how much hair gel do you use to keep that thing in shape? Or is it just naturally like that because you got a hair cut so bad that even gravity didn't want to be near it?)

'Not Rokudo Mukuro?' Tsuna exclaimed.

Funny, I've been here the whole time and only the Varia and Reborn knew I was there...

Meh, it's probably cuz I'm in the little emo corner and I hadn't spoken a single word...yet.

'Chrome...Dokuro?' said Basil.

'Who's the girl with the extremely weird name?' said Ryohei. Mind your manners...

Tsuna and his Guardians talked and I watched from the corner.

Maybe concealing my presence was a good thing...

Chrome didn't seem like she was possessed by Mukuro, but there was an undeniable bond between them.

The hairstyle does not help.

At all.

Why does it always come back to the hair?

I guess it's just disturbing like that...

However, my instincts are telling me that she could be trusted (Somewhat).

Tsuna came to the same conclusion and said that she wasn't Mukuro which caused her to reward him with a kiss.

I just deadpanned and stared as the boys had major overreactions over such a tiny thing.

Especially Gokudera.

Hey, it's Italian tradition so would you mind closing your mouth and not looking like a stupefied idiot?

Overreactions aside, Tsuna was still hesitant on trusting her (Well, she's a Mukuro look-alike and she just kissed him so I would kinda understand).

I thought I should speak up (and make my unworthy presence known to the world).

'Tsuna, there's no one else to be the Mist Guardian so why not accept her?'

Yes, why not? Excluding the part about Mukuro.

Tsuna jumped a little, spun around, and gaped at me.

Was my face that amazingly shocking? Because the last time I checked, I'm not worth gaping over.

Strange, considering Gokudera, Yamamoto, and Ryohei were giving me similar looks.

'What?' I asked, bluntly.

It's rude to stare, people.

'M-M-Mei! Where have you been! Why are you injured?' Tsuna cried.

'In that corner over there.' I responded. Ah, I forgot I was injured...

'THAT'S NOT WHAT HE MEANS, VAMPIRE! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN IN THE PAST THREE DAYS? YOU MISSED HALF THE RING BATTLES!' Gokudera yelled.

'Calm down Gokudera. We should be glad she's back.' Yamamoto cheerfully suggested.

'KUROGANE HAS EXTREMELY ARRIVED!' My eardrums...

'I was dealing with assassins, kidnapping, and mafia missions.' I answered truthfully.

'Eh? Seriously?' Tsuna exclaimed.

It's a minor detail so moving on...

'Anyways, it's not like there's anyone else to take her place so why not let Chrome fight? You should be able to sense that she's not Mukuro.'

But she was definitely connected to him.

Tsuna had this look in his eyes and then he said,

'All right then. It's up to you.'

Gokudera protested, but in the end, Chrome was to be the Guardian.

She smiled and nodded at me a little bit.

Suddenly, Reborn's pacifier glowed and I looked up to see Colonello with his pet falcon.

Apparently, they were here for Arcobaleno matters and Dino was gone for business.

The Cervello gave a speech and explained the battlefield.

Apparently, there was absolutely nothing whatsoever.

That's to be expected since we're talking about the Mists Guardians after all.

They don't need anything more.

The battle started and Chrome used a awfully familiar move involving purple lights, dramatic ground shaking, and floating blocks of the former floor.

Tsuna and the others panicked as usual but Colonello set him straight.

Chrome was captured in creepy tentacles and the illusion faded (Tentacles? WTF? I never knew Mammon was perverted).

Mammon seemed like he was dominating, but Chrome's illusion of herself turned into basketballs and the real Chrome appeared behind Mammon.

Suddenly, a chain fell out from Mammon's cloak and a weird frog turned serpent-ish thingie floated above him.

I heard Reborn and Colonello comment that Mammon was the Arcobaleno Viper and he was the one with the strongest psychic powers among them.

The two explained to Tsuna and told them that Viper was supposedly dead.

The battle proceeded and Chrome attacked with rapid swings of her trident, trying and failing to land a hit.

But then she summoned snakes from an epic black and red void (Is she emo?) to capture Mammon.

That skill was undoubtedly Mukuro's (Emo/Weird/Creepy)skill.

Tsuna and the others also noticed but Tsuna seemed to know that Chrome wasn't Mukuro.

Mammon broke loose from the snakes at the last second and floated in the air in all his creepy magical-ness.

Chrome struck the ground with the trident and flaming magma pits erupted.

Do all pineapple heads have a thing for magma pits?

That illusion is being overused...

When Chrome's trident was shattered, her insides caved in and Mammon said that her insides were illusions that she lived off of (THAT IS CREEPY. JUST PLAIN _CREEPY_)

When Chrome seemed like she was about to be defeated, mist came from her body and surrounded her in dramatical swirls.

A horribly familiar 'Kufufufu~' was heard and Rokudo Mukuro appeared with all his pineapple headed over-dramatic glory.

He took over Chrome and pwned Mammon and won the Mist Battle.

He had a friendly 'talk' with Xanxus and commented on something that he didn't intend to stick his nose into.

Suspicious...

Mukuro walked over and Ken and Chikusa (I learned their names at some point) started congratulating him on his battle and his epic pineapple-ness.

Gokudera was still wary of Mukuro and wasn't willing to accept him and Mukuro admitted that he was still wanting to take over Tsuna's body.

I glared at him with my 'Back off' expression and he smirked at me and turned to Tsuna.

'Kufufu~ Just to let you know, you should probably investigate on your Guardian's backrounds. I'm sure you'll find interesting information.'

'Eh?' said Tsuna.

My glare intensified and now I did my best to emit my 'Fuck off or die' aura.

I do not need Tsuna poking around with my past...

Mukuro transformed back into Chrome and I think I figured out what happened (Somewhat. I don't know everything).

Chrome relies on his illusion organs for survival and Mukuro relied on her for communication outside his cell and interaction with the world.

Apparently, he can switch places with her at will (Unfortunately).

Chrome was obviously a different person altogether and personally, I thought she was quite nice (Because she is not a sadistic psycho bastard with creepy laughs and dark, emo powers and too much information)

Now, moving on to the new problem.

Something Mukuro said was bugging me like crazy (Aside form the remarks about my past).

I thought about it as the group went over to Lambo's hospital room.

Lambo's condition was getting much better than it was before according to Tsuna and the Cloud Battle was to be the last.

Hibari being Hibari...There's now way he'll lose.

If that guy went through crazy training and combined it with his insane killer instincts of bloodthirsty-ness and ruthlessness, he'll be an unstoppable monster.

Not that he wasn't already.

Our peaceful days should finally be back...But Xanxus was still the big problem.

That man definitely had something really nasty planned...

There's no way he'll surrender the position without putting up a fight.

Probably some evil, gory, pain-inducing, hellish plan to take over the mafia and become the Tenth...

* * *

><p><strong><em>~At School Before Cloud Battle~<em>**

The whole gang minus Tsuna and Hibari was here.

'Listen up, you guys! We're going to win to matter what!' proclaimed Gokudera.

The boys started talking (Yelling) with each other.

Then Hibari showed up.

(Note: His appearance practically made time freeze for a sec. Actually, I swear that the temperature dropped by 10 degrees...)

The others stopped talking and I could hear creepy piano music in my head for some reason (IT'S NOT HELPING).

'Why are you here?' he said.

'What was that?' yelled Gokudera.

Yamamoto calmed him down as usual, but then Ryohei got mad too due to Hibari's extreme antisocial-ness.

I just looked on from my corner.

Sadly, he noticed me.

'Herbivore, you're back.'

I nodded wordlessly.

Yes I am back.

After fending off assassins, getting kidnapped, and dragged into a mafia battle.

He lay eyes on Gola Mosca and said,

'I see...so I just have to bite that to death...'

Scary dark aura...

We arrived at the battle field and I must say, that place was a death trap.

There is no other way to describe it.

There were barbed wires, gatling guns, and freakin' MINES.

This'll be tough even for Hibari.

The boys made some comments and the Varia started mocking them.

I just ignored it and looked at the battlefield.

The Cervello showed up, in all their freaky...freakiness and explained the rules.

Hibari and Gola Mosca entered the field and the battle started.

Gola Mosca freakin' flew at him and charged with a 10 ton+ head-butt that would probably shatter bones and then it stuck out it's hand and fired large amount of bullets while it was at it.

WTF? IS THAT EVEN LEGAL?

And then Hibari...owned the thing in 2 seconds flat.

Here's a good way to describe what happened.

Charge, punch, rip off arm, epic explosion, bye bye Mosca.

My eyes widened and I stared a little.

_How strong **is** this monster?_

Never freakin' mess with head perfects.

EVER.

He completed the ring and threw it to the Cervello and for the first time, they actually showed emotion.

'Hey, what are you-'

He turned to Xanxus and pointed a tonfa at him.

'Get over here. You're next.'

Xanxus raised an eyebrow at the challenge. He smirked.

That...was not good.

He just freakin' lost the ring battles and he was sitting there grinning like he was either batshit crazy or he has something planned.

The former is definitely preferred, but that would be too good to be true so I assumed that he has something nasty up his sleeve.

But Hibari being Hibari...He can deal with it, right?

And so started the epic match between the mad, severely scarred psycho boss and the demonic, bloodthirsty perfect.

Hibari was doing great, but that was probably because Xanxus wasn't attacking (thankfully).

Then, suddenly, there was a flash of green light (Laser maybe?) and Hibari fell.

Huh?

What the heck happened?

* * *

><p><strong>Finally...finished...<strong>

**This took FOREVER.**

**Exactly 8000 words as promised. **

**Nearly died in the process TT_TT.**

**Not much Varia interaction, but I thought I'd let you know that in the Future Arc, Varia has a big impact on Mei's life (more accurately, skills. I think I said too much, but oh well...) **

**A few more chapters and the Varia Arc will end.**

**Hope you enjoyed!**

**Review? Pretty please?**


	13. The Sky Battle

**My update is extremely late.**

**I know, feel free to yell at me, but school's started and I'm really busy so...please forgive me?**

**Thanks for all the reviews, faves and alerts! **

**I decided Mei won't be at the Sky Battle for 'reasons' and it'd be really boring since everything's the same anyways…**

**Also, I didn't want to ruin the epic-ness of the battle by having y'all listening to the sarcastic and witty remarks she'll make in her head throughout the whole thing…Tsuna deserves his epic moments!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><em><strong>~Mini Flashback~<strong>_

_Then, suddenly, there was a flash of green light (Laser maybe?) and Hibari fell._

_Huh?_

_What the heck happened?_

_**~Present~**_

Holy _shit._

Are those _missiles_? Gola Mosca's still functioning? Gee, all robots must be immortal.

Also, where the heck does Xanxus get this ridiculous crap?

Everyone ducked for cover (Minus Levi cuz he's a dunce) and most of us survived from the impending missiles of doom.

'Oi, are you okay?' yelled Gokudera. He's concerned? That's a shock…

'Yeah…' I replied.

Yes, I am okay.

I nearly got killed by homing missiles fired by an immortal machine of evil and doom and potential death.

I am very okay, Gokudera. I AM 100% VERY OKAY.

That explosion created lots of dark, nasty smoke and I couldn't see what was happening because I was perfectly human and didn't have x-ray vision.

However, I was sure of one thing.

Gola Mosca was still alive.

After Hibari pwned it into the pits of hell.

IT WAS STILL FUCKING ALIVE, FLYING AROUND LIKE IT WAS MENTALLY DERANGED.

That defies the laws of the universe in all ways possible.

Oh wait; it's an immortal robot of death.

Its very existence defied the all the laws of the universe in the first place.

Almost forgot about that.

Gola Mosca seemed to be on rampage and that equaled more missiles, lasers, explosions and various other destructive actions that could lead to severe injuries and possible death.

Everyone scattered to avoid deadly flying homing missiles of doom for the sake of their health and future.

Gola Mosca was attacking everything; the school, us, and Varia included.

It shattered the windows, blew up some classrooms, and totally wreaked the place beyond repair.

Hibari's gonna be dead pissed when he sees that…

Apparently, Xanxus had planned to wipe us all out all along by using Hibari's battle-obsessed personality.

I'd say that it was an ingenious plan if it weren't for the fact that it involved nearly all of us including myself dying minus one overly scarred, power-hungry freak of nature with no sanity left and laughing like he was bat-shit crazy.

I was smart enough to run from the missiles along with the others, but unfortunately, Chrome accidently entered the field and was about to be vaporized by a giant laser beam when equally gigantic flames countered it.

That color…this feeling…Wait, since when was I emotional?

Also, since when did the wimpy tunafish learn how to make overly dramatic entrances?

Mukuro's habits must be rubbing off…

Tsuna started flying around in all his flaming epic-ness while avoiding missiles, lasers, and a variety of other potentially deadly items.

I don't ever recall humans being able to fly around like mega-sized birdies with flaming wings of death.

I look away for five minutes and the pathetic tunafish turns into some sort of super powerful flame-wielding battle genius with a considerable amount of knowledge of how to be epic.

The universe is a very crazy thing indeed.

He pwned the thing (the evil robot of doom) that managed to send his guardians + Varia running for their lives with seemly no effort and then cleaved it apart to reveal…the Ninth?

WTF?

Xanxus's true utterly evil intentions were revealed and there was to be a Sky Battle to decide the next boss.

Cervello are officially assholes. No questions asked.

The Ninth was taken (Is he still alive?) and Dino showed up.

'Miss, are you injured?' one of Dino's men asked.

No, I wasn't apart from some scratches and bruises from the whole kidnapping fiasco which nobody gave a crap about.

There was silence and dramatic tense and it seemed that Tsuna had the resolve to fight Xanxus.

For once in his sorry life, he was actually quite cool and mature…And no, I am not falling for him in any way no matter how epic he was in the past five minutes.

* * *

><p><em><strong>~Next Day~<strong>_

For some reason, the school was repaired already and was in perfect shape.

Actually, now that I look closer, there were suspicious men staying near the places that were damaged.

Illusionists maybe? That'd make since…

I found Tsuna on the rooftop and thought I'd have a little talk with him.

'Tsuna, remember that no matter what happens, I'll always support you. Your friends will always be by your side.'

The moving words spoken from the depths of my heart…NOT.

Okay, it was technically true, but I REALLY hated saying cheesy stuff and for some reason, cheesy stuff always seemed to get him motivated.

It worked last time, didn't it? Besides, my future is on the line…

Tsuna blinked at me in surprised and then smiled.

'Yeah.'

Wow, this guy has a serious thing for quiet, cheesy moments.

I smiled (ish?) and walked off as Kyoko, Bianchi, Ipin, Haru , and Futa made their way to Tsuna somehow all dressed in the Namimori uniform.

For once, I'll admit that despite the way I act, Tsuna was a precious friend.

He had protected me and welcomed me with open arms despite the way I treated him.

Which…sorta sucked considering he might die soon.

The world just hates me, doesn't it?

I looked up at the sky and decided something.

I've been pushed around far too much.

From the moment I was a child, I had let my family be taken away from me while I was helpless.

This time, I had the strength and power.

No matter how little power it may be, I was going to use it to its full potential and make the world listen to **me** for a change.

I won't let him die.

It was my mission and I had vowed to never let something hurt me so much ever again.

Time to get moving.

_**~Sky Battle~**_

_Mei never did show up at the battle and the Cervello said something about the fact that she didn't count as a true Guardian since there wasn't a Moon Guardian for many generations._

_Everyone received the bracelet-thingies and bystanders were put in a cage._

_The Guardians were poisoned and the battle started._

_**~Back to Mei~**_

The Varia isn't exactly famous for playing fair and since Xanxus had so many back-up plans for just about every occasion and he went as far as to kidnap me, I'm sure he has something planned just in case he loses.

It was my job to prepare for when that happens.

I was just about to walk out my door when suddenly,

'Kufufufu~ It's been a long time, little girl.'

Holy-

Before I could react, I was somehow transported into…a holy paradise.

With disturbingly pink flowers. Not to mention creepily perfect trees. And disturbingly pink flowers. And creepy trees. And-

'Kufufufu~ So how do you like my world?'

Twisted bastard with too much information has arrived.

'Mukuro…What. Are. You. **Doing**?'

SINCE WHEN COULD HE ACCESS MY MIND? MY PERSONAL SPACE HAS BEEN VIOLATED!

Also, shouldn't Mukuro-Land be complete with skulls, blood, gore, and all sorts of nasty stuff as opposed to pink, girly flowers and pretty, perfect trees that was by no means created by Mother Nature?

Weird.

Maybe Mukuro liked girly stuff?

'Relax, I'm not here to fight. I'm here to give you some helpful information.'

Sure you are.

If you want to be helpful, please go die in a hole in a desert and have your corpse eaten by worms, rats and giant bacteria while slowly decomposing and creating a big stench in the air.

Thanks to our little encounter back at Kokuyo Land, I now had major tentacle phobia, vine phobia, pretty pink flower phobia, and to top it off, pineapple phobia.

Ever since then, I had never looked at a pineapple in the same way. Ever. I hate that fruit.

'Why would you?' I suspiciously asked.

Why the heck would the great pineapple of all six hells want to help his former victim?

'Kufufufu~ I can't let my prey be killed now can I? I've already taken a few precautions so I'll only tell you this once; Go to the airport and pick up an ally against Varia. You'll need his help. Come back to the battle afterwards.' Mukuro said.

Then the illusion started fading and I was back in my apartment about to walk out the door.

I pondered for a while.

Should I take his advice? Fuck no…Is what I'd normally say, but this time, his assistance made sense.

So despite being suspicious as heck, I followed his advice and proceeded to the airport.

_**~Sky Battle~**_

_The Guardians were fighting, Tsuna was fighting, and the bystanders watched with bated breath._

_Tsuna revealed his new techniques and Xanxus was being a crazy bastard as usual._

_Yamamoto and Gokudera were dealing with Belphegore and Mammon who held Chrome hostage._

_Squalo was revealed to be alive and the battle continues to reveal secrets, results of training, and tragic endings. _

_**~Back to Mei~**_

I reached the airport and looked around.

Who was this ally Mukuro was talking about?

Wait a sec…WERE THOSE VARIA MEMBERS?

WTF?

I heard a gun click behind me and dived for cover.

I whirled to see more members of the Varia along with many others coming out of a private plane.

Fuck.

Xanxus's plan must have been to crush Tsuna and his Guardians with brute force if he alone isn't enough.

Some members surrounded me while the rest of them went off.

I narrowed my eyes and got into a fighting stance.

They obviously didn't know who I was, but the ring must have led them to the conclusion that I was one of Tsuna's guardians.

I technically was, but they didn't know which one.

However, before I even attacked, they were all simultaneously wiped out by…A giant metal ball?

I blinked.

Then,

'You alright?' said a manly voice.

This guy was-!

'L-Lancia?'

_He_ was the ally Mukuro was talking about?

'Thanks for the help. Do you know what's going on?'

He nodded and we set off at a rapid pace.

I was internally panicking and adrenaline rushed through my veins.

The rest of the Varia members had headed off to Namimori and we had to catch up as soon as possible or else we're friggin' SCREWED.

I thought about the worst case scenario.

Xanxus could have ordered the extermination of everything related to Tsuna.

That would mean…Oh fuck no.

We made it back to town in record time and I said,

'Let's split up. You go to Nami Middle and I'll go elsewhere.'

'Very well.'

I sprinted over to the hospital as fast as I could.

Please tell me I made it in time…

I arrived on the scene of… Assassins wiped out by Bianchi's posion cooking.

'B-Bianchi…' I breathed out.

'Go on ahead. I'll protect the others here.' She said.

Looks like she figured out what was going on. Thank you Poison Scorpion, I appreciated the help.

Then I charged towards Namimori Middle and took out any assassins on the way and counted.

_12…18…20…23…25…_

Jeez, how many _are _there?

The school was finally in sight and I caught up with Lancia who was also taking out as many assassins as possible.

Together, we fought our way through and went off the catch the last ones that got ahead to the battle field.

Judging from the scene, Xanxus lost and they had been waiting for reinforcements.

Lanica and I attacked together and dealt the finishing blow.

We had made it in time…

_**~Random POV~**_

'_Ushishishi~ Nice timing. We've been waiting.'_

'_Reporting…the entire Varia Squad, except us, has been defeated…They are too strong! A man and a girl with the strength of demons are heading this way… '_

'_Violent Snake Fierce Domination!'_

'_Lunar Strike!'_

_A glowing slash of white light and a giant metal ball with swirling wind came out of nowhere and took down the remaining assassins. _

_Tsuna and his Guardians stared in disbelief as the dust cleared to reveal Mei and Lancia._

'_I said I'll support you didn't I?' said Mei. _

_Her blade was held by her side and her face expressionless._

'_Don't get me wrong, Vongola. I didn't come to save you. I came to thank you.' said Lancia, smile on his face._

'_Lancia-san! Mei!'_

'_Lancia? And the Moon Guardian? Why are they here?' exclaimed Mammon._

_The Moon Guardian is here for obvious reasons, idiot..._

'_What are they?' said Bel. They are human, that's what._

_In the sidelines, Squalo did some narrations._

'_Known as the strongest man in Northern Italy, Lancia of the Family Murder Incident along with Kurogane, Mei, famed Moon Guardian as well as the youngest member and boss of the feared Segreto organization.'_

_The others commented on this and Varia was pushed into a corner by Lancia, Mei and the remaining Guardians._

_The Ring Conflict…was finally over._

_**~Back to Mei~  
><strong>_

I stood along with everyone else as we confronted the Varia.

The ring conflict was finally over and suddenly, Tsuna passed out.

'Tsuna!' I cried.

I bent over and checked his pulse.

Phew, he was just asleep from exhaustion.

With nothing else to do, I left for home as Gokudera, Ryohei and Yamamoto acted like mother hens and gathered at Tsuna's side.

_**~THE END OF VARIA ARC~**_

Today was, to my eternal happiness, a day off.

I was still in bed enjoying the bliss that is known as sleep when my cell phone rang.

I drowsily got up and checked the caller's ID.

Reborn? What does he want? I picked up and said,

'What's up?'

'Oi, Mei, go to Yamamoto's Sushi place for a party. Ciao!'

I never got a chance to respond.

Is he just going to assume that I would show up?

If so, he's sadly mistaken.

I am still recovering from a long forgotten kidnapping attempt, harsh battles with various members of the Varia, and all sorts of random crap that I had to endure due to the Ring Conflict.

I have no intention of showing up at some random party thank-you-very-much.

Not giving it another thought, I dropped the phone and nuzzled deeper into my pillow.

Our peaceful days are finally back…And I have every intention of keeping it that way.

_**~Meanwhile at the Party~**_

_Everyone was having fun and Chrome, Hibari, and Mei were the only ones missing._

_Everyone had their rings, Gokudera faced Bianchi, Lambo was a pain, and Tsuna was being emotional._

_He went off and said bye to Lancia and Basil and received a ring and some pills._

_In the end, he got hit by grenades and winded up on a pole._

_The endless joy of life._

* * *

><p>A midsummer test of courage.<p>

_Are you serious?_

Reborn had told me to come to the graveyard at night for 'something important' but this really wasn't what I had in mind.

Right now, I was with Tsuna and Lambo while they shivered in fear and acted like pathetic little wimps.

I mentally sighed.

We are mafia.

Mafioso don't get scared of the dark.

Why?

Because we are _the _dark and evil of the universe.

People fear us as the assassins of the night who cling to darkness and pure evil is our source of energy.

So really, it was ironical that the future ruler of this dark, evil underworld was shivering in his pants like a little wussy in the graveyard.

'C'mon, Tsuna. Let's get this over with.' I said. How hard can it be?

I took the candle and stepped ahead.

'S-Sure!' stammered Tsuna. He thought, _'Wow, Mei isn't scared at all...As expected, I'm no good compared to her...'_

'L-Lambo-san isn't scared at all!'

You are scared, stupid cow. You are very, very scared.

I just casually walked ahead and looked with a bored gaze.

It's not exactly scary when you know everything's fake now is it?

Gokudera was up ahead and Tsuna ran towards him.

'Gokudera-kun!' Tsuna called.

'**_Yes, Judaimei?' _** said a faceless Gokudera.

I stared blankly. And blinked. And then just walked on as Tsuna went into hysterics.

Did I try to calm him down? No. I'm not that nice. He can scream his head off for all I care.

The real Gokudera later came out of the bushes and told us that everyone split into 'scaring' and 'scared' sides.

We were the only ones on the 'scared' side.

Joy.

He ran off and we were on our own.

Again.

With a dead cow.

And walking umbrellas plus Namahages.

Dude, that is pathetic. No one will be scared of those. Not even three year olds.

I kept the same expression for a record time of thirty minutes straight.

Then Bianchi came out missing an eye with snakes coming out of her face and sent Tsuna screaming away.

I watched him sprinting from my spot and then turned to Bianchi.

'Nice job.' I said. Really, she was the only one who actually seemed a bit scary.

'You too. You haven't even batted an eyelash.' said Bianchi.

No, I haven't. We've been facing blood thirsty assassins for the last week.

You expect me to be afraid of this?

'As expected from Vampire-chan!' said Haru.

Friend, I am sure you did _not_ just call me Vampire-chan.

Gokudera is bad enough. I don't need two of you.

'You're so brave, Kurogane-chan!' said Kyoko. Thank you, that one sane person among crazy people.

'...We should go check on Tsuna.' I said.

The poor guy was probably still screaming his lungs out and running like crazy.

We met up with Ryohei, Yamamoto, and Futa and gave each other news.

My prediction was correct and Tsuna had indeed ran like his life was on the line.

He never even noticed Yamamoto trying to point him the right way.

This was so childish...

For some reason, weird blue flames floated around us.

Everyone wondered what the heck it was and I didn't have the heart to point out that _ I don't give a crap._

Well, there was a hostile presence around but its killing intent was pathetic...

I'm sure Tsuna can handle what ever it is...

Bianchi left somewhere and we all left to find Tsuna.

When we did find him, perfectly fine and in one piece, I decided to leave quietly (I should have done that hours ago...)

...Only to have everyone follow after me screaming about ghosts and rushing ahead of me like psycho freak-zoids with issues.

Great.

I hate life.

* * *

><p>Class visitations.<p>

Do I give a crap? No.

It's not like my parents will return from the dead to visit (As much as I wish they could...).

Tsuna was being teased as usual and Gokudera and Yamamoto went to shoo off the bullies.

Class started and the parents all watched from the back (Like they're creepy stalkers or something).

When Tsuna was called, he was about to answer when something hit his head with a bang.

I narrowed my eyes and turned around to see...a creepy lady.

A creepy tiny old lady with an evil gleam in 'her' eyes along with a bomb because I just know that Reborn always has one for reasons unknown.

Well, I _do _ know why he probably has them, but I really wish I didn't.

Class was boring. Or so I thought.

Until Lambo and Ipin showed up along with Bianchi who caused Gokudera to faint.

Which caused the teacher to leave.

Which caused Reborn to become the substitute.

Which caused the class to die.

...Not really, but yeah, they nearly died of exhaustion after what Reborn put everyone through.

I don't think that someone bothered to inform him that your average human being does not have the strength of insane baby hitmen.

Well, minus Kyoko because she's the perfect, unflawed being with major issues concerning her perfect-ness.

After that came electric chairs.

And killer chalk (Are the poor victims even alive?).

And explosions.

And we all know that explosions lead to pissed-off perfects.

Who, for some reason, has no problem with Reborn blowing up the school when if it's anyone else, he'll murder them on the spot.

Which meant that the class of impending death was to continue.

And so I helpfully decided to jump out the window to escape the commotion when I saw Reborn with a gun.

Why?

Because when Reborn has a gun, you do not stay still.

You friggin' run for your life because if you don't, YOU WILL BE SCREWED.

And I was right, as usual.

Which is sad.

Because when I'm right, something wrong happens to the world.

It's a proven fact.

* * *

><p>I stared at the letter in my hand.<p>

A wedding invitation.

For Bianchi and Reborn.

Wow, I never knew the Apocalypse was already here.

God, I enjoyed life very much and would like to thank you for the unending crappiness that you granted me.

Sincerely, a person who appreciates life very much.

...Okay, since the world hasn't exploded, that means that this was indeed real and I should get dressed despite the fact that it's probably one of Reborn's jokes.

My dress was black, knee length, and sliver at the edges with a white ribbon on the middle.

At least this time, I don't have to put on make-up...

And so I made my merry way to Tsuna's house and then to the wedding hall.

**_~At Wedding Hall~_**

Bianchi looked beautiful.

It was great and all and I thought I might go congratulate Reborn.

Apparently, Tsuna had the same idea and we ran into each other on our way there.

'Oh, Mei, are you here to talk to Reborn?' he asked.

'Yep.' Why else would I be here, huh?

We walked through the door and entered the room.

Tsuna started talking, but Reborn was silent.

I really wasn't suspicious until...his arm fell off.

With a pop.

It was really, really weird.

'IT CAME OFF!' Tsuna exclaimed.

I just stared.

And then the door flew open to reveal Dino who explained what was going on.

Hmmm...I thought so.

It was just Bianchi's misunderstanding.

Our little robot Reborn was actually quite cute considering the fact that, y'know, he's now a harmless baby who can't kill anyone?

For now...I think.

Unless the real one shows up.

**_~Later in other room~_**

'Bianchi-san, do you swear to take this man as your husband?'

'I do.'

'Reborn-san, do you swear to take this women as your bride?'

Silence.

And then, after a long delay,

'I do.'

I could see Dino and Tsuna breathing sighs of relief on the other side of the room.

Man, there was no way this was gonna work out...

When they exchanged rings...Reborn's arm fell off.

Again.

Which caused Tsuna to say something random and then rush up there to fix it.

Surprisingly, he made it in time.

Unsurprisingly, later, Robo-Reborn malfunctioned when Bianchi gave it a drink.

Which caused it to go hyper and act like a deranged fish.

I was mentally chuckling at the sight and would've done so out-loud if it weren't for the fact that Bianchi pulled out giant machine guns while emitting immense killing intent.

And then Tsuna and Dino saved the day with a ridiculous story that Bianchi actually bought.

For mafioso, they sure can be dense sometimes.

I enjoyed the food while they went off with Robo-Reborn.

I thought all was well...until they brought out the giant poison cake of death that we are expected to eat out of politeness.

Which was destroyed by Robo-Reborn.

Which made Bianchi realize things.

Which led to extreme chaos until Robo-Reborn said,

'This. Is. A. Trial.'

Bianchi calmed down and the soon-to-be-wedding-disaster continued.

During the candle thingie, Dino somehow broke the remote with his face and all hell broke lose.

In the form of a army of Reborns who somehow made their way into the room.

Perfect.

One was bad enough.

An army of him spells the end of the world.

In the end, it was revealed that the whole thing was planned by Reborn to make up for Nana's wedding that was ruined many years ago.

Ah, how sweet... except for the fact that I nearly had a heart attack three times in the process due to skyrocketed killing intent emitted by pissed off highly dangerous mafioso brides.

Weddings are awesome, are they not?

* * *

><p><strong>And so, the Varia Arc ends!...along with part of the Daily Life filler arc thingie.<strong>

**Should I do a special episode? Like, for example, Mei's birthday? Or White Day?(Those of you who don't know, it's when the boys give stuff to the girls in return for Valentines Day)**

**Anyways, please review! :D**


	14. And White Day

**I'M SO SORRY! This isn't one of those long chapters as usual and I know you've been waiting like forever!**

**But school's being a douche bag, I'm recovering from a 103 degrees fever and all AP classes tend to result in stacks and stacks of make-up work.**

**TT_TT Free time has been reduced to almost none...**

**But since I didn't want to wait until I have time to do a long chapter (Thanksgiving break is waaaay too far away. You'll all hate me by then) I thought I'd do a filler chapter to show that no, the story is not on hiatus and yes, I will TRY to update.**

**I'll be doing an omake for White Day first and then one for Mei's birthday later in the series.**

**Thanks for reviews, faves, and alerts.**

**Now to the omake...**

* * *

><p>It was White Day.<p>

How awesome.

Considering the fact that I had given chocolate to people who are not very likely to return it in the first place, I thought the day would be perfectly normal.

So when I showed up at school, the bundle of epic looking Vongola style chocolate dropped into my arms by Reborn was extremely unexpected.

So you really can't blame me for my reaction.

Which was an ever so intelligent,

'Huh?'

Which caused Reborn to tap me on the head and say,

'It's in return for Valentine's Day. All Mafioso must have good manners.'

'Oh. Thanks…' I said.

Blink. Blink. Twitch.

When I was done comprehending the situation, I shook my head and then walked on thinking about the craziness of life because I just received chocolate flowers from the world's #1 hitman.

What's next, a present from the cold-blooded ice prince that was the head of the Disciplinary Committee?

Like that'll ever happen…

As I walked into the classroom, a blushing Tsuna came up to me and said,

'Um…Mei…P-Please accept this as a present in return for the chocolate!'

And he presented me with…Roses.

ROSES.

_Are you kidding me?_

What was I, his future girlfriend? (Just so you know, THAT'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN. Ever. I hope.)

But still, I accepted (out of politeness and because I didn't want to break his heart) with a smile and said,

'Thanks, Tsuna. They're beautiful.' Not that I really care…

He blushed some more and walked off to his seat wordlessly.

By now, I was fully aware of the fact that everyone that I gave chocolate to would most likely be returning something.

Which…made me happy, but what's with the extravagant gifts?

I mean seriously,fancy chocolate? (They were high quality, too. I tried one.)

Followed by blood red roses? What was he doing, declaring his undying love for me in the form of flowers?

If _Tsuna _was being extreme, then…I'd hate to see what Gokudera has in store for me.

Yamamoto…His should be normal, right?

If not, universe, I hate you.

Even though you already know that. But I really don't care.

As for Hibari…that's not gonna happen. It is impossible.

The Apocalypse would occur on a smaller scale and hell will freeze over.

I'm dead serious.

Anyways, Yamamoto's present was, thankfully, quite ordinary as it was a box of deluxe sushi with pink ribbons on top plus a blinding smile that burned my eyes.

Gokudera's…was…well…Less ordinary.

He sent me a bottle of blood (Or is it blood red wine? I'm a teen. I don't drink wine.) and creepy gothic jewelry with a note saying,

_Thank you, Vampire, for Valentine's Day._

_Enjoy the blood. I got it off a random assassin._

_I researched and discovered that vampires should like creepy jewelry and got that from a black market selling cursed items._

_-Gokudera_

It took lots of effort to not hunt him down, grab him by the throat, and make it 100% clear that I AM NOT A VAMPIRE. GET IT THROUGH YOUR THICK HEAD.

And I thought (wished) that that would be the end of it.

Was it?

Sadly, no, as I had a bigger surprise later that day.

It came in the form of a yellow puff ball happily invading my personal space by coming through the window and heading my direction.

I twitched.

And then I got up and left the apartment rapidly while trying to escape from my newly acquired stalker friend of a different species wondering why the world hasn't exploded due to the fact that if HIBIRD was here, Hibari was related.

And no, I do not want to face him in person because there is a high chance that his present could be very life-threatening in many ways both physically and mentally.

As I was lost in my thoughts, I unconsciously slowed down and Hibird caught up.

And landed in my hair.

Which made me nearly have a heart attack.

Which wasn't necessary because it left two minutes later.

Which was why I then banged my head on a wall for being an idiot who ran away from a tiny little bird for the past thirty minutes who apparently just wanted to mess with my hair.

Now that I've calmed down and stopped banging my head on a wall, I realized there was something heavy in my hair.

I walked by a window and saw my reflection.

In my hair was a fancy hair accessory that was, well, meant for me (as much as I hated to admit).

It was a flower with blends of many shades of black and hints of silver.

I touched the flower and blushed (a little. You have to squint really, really hard).

I like it.

Like, A LOT. It goes with my dark and creepy personality just _perfectly._

And when I returned to my apartment, I (belatedly) realized that Hibari just gave me a present (indirectly with use of Hibird, but still).

My first reaction was, HOLY CRAP.

Followed by breathing exercises to make sure I wasn't hallucinating and then finally complete calm.

I thought over it.

Hibari gave me a gift?

Maybe he wasn't so bad after-all…

_**~With Hibari~**_

'_Delivery Success! Delivery Success!' Hibird chirped cutely._

'_Hn. How did the herbivore react?' said Hibari as he shifted through paperwork._

'_Blush! Blush!' Hibird chirped._

_How the little bird managed the spot the near invisible blush on the face of a certain vampire will never be known._

_Maybe it had super powers?_

_It's __Hibari's__ bird after all…_

_The perfect smirked and seemed to be in a slightly better mood._

_Not that he has emotions._

_Really, he doesn't._

_Does he?_

* * *

><p><strong>It's...so...frigging...SHORT. TT_TT *Repeatedly bangs head on wall*<strong>

**I will try to do a real update ASAP!**

** Just know that I will never discontinue it or put it on hiatus unless there's some sort of emergency. **

**Please review! ^^ It's my motivation! I need them to live! ;)**


	15. Drag Me To The Varia Mansion

**Thank you for all the reviews, faves, and alerts! I love you all so much ^^**

**The Daily Life Filler Arc is going to be really short since I want to get to the Future Arc.**

**Also, I just found out that I'm supposed to respond to reviews on the story so starting now, there's a author response thingie for reviews on the last chapter!**

**Oh, and because I didn't know about this, I feel really bad for not responding until now so there's going to be lots of long thank you's and stuff. **

**(I am so sorry if you thought I was ignoring them or something! PLZ forgive me!)**

**If you don't feel like reading my endless blabbering, skip right to the story!**

* * *

><p><strong>novellanite12-<strong>_ Thank you for reviewing from Ch. 1! You haven't reviewed recently, but still, THANK YOUUUU!_

**LuciansLycanNightShade****_- _**_OHMYGOSH I gained a new fan! *Hyperventilates then recovers* The tale of the mafia vampire will never end! It's too funny to stop...Hibird is awesome! I think Mei has Hibird-phobia now...Anyways, I'm glad I made you happy! It makes me so cheerful and motivated when the reader is happy! Thank you for all your reviews!_

**Life. Is. A. Ray. Of. Sunshine - **_Yeah, she's the loner type and used to be totally anti-social, but feelings will eventually develop!...Even though she's sort of clueless in that category...Thank you for all your reviews! It really makes my day when I read them! ^^ _

**AshleyKim01****_ - _**_Yep. Poor Gokudera's still deluded. But you gotta admit, Mei IS very vampire-y. As for Hibari, I figured it was time for some action since it's been like what, 15 chapters? Ah, me and my overly long delays...Thanks for the reviews! :D_

**valkeri4071 ****_- _**_Well, I'm glad you like it! You should see me hyperventilate when I read reviews. Thank__ y__ou! :)_

**hiyomi ****_- _**_Oh yeah, Reborn always has an excuse for anything and everything. Gokudera+ Vampire= humor! I wanted something funny and unexpected so I had to add that in there...Hibird can send the feared Moon Guardian running for her life! :D Hibari seems like the type to do something like that...Thank you for your reviews!_

** dark. driex. 07_ - ^^ _**_Thank you very much! Your comment is very appreciated and makes me happy :)_

** Blueberryxn-**_ Yup! I'm going to try to get the romance in there somehow and make feelings develop since this IS supposed to have some love in there somewhere. Thanks for the review! :'D I always try my best to update as soon as possible for y'all!_

**MadameRedx- **_Thank you for your reviews!_

**I know that's not everyone, but I can't go back and respond to all 70+ reviews TT_TT**

**So instead..here's a cookie! (Okay, it's not much...But it's the least I could do, right?)**

**I just want you to know that I always read all reviews and everyone gives me so much motivation whenever they leave a word or two behind! **

**Thank you, readers! **

**Now finally moving to the story...**

* * *

><p>When going shopping, one tends to try to enjoy oneself.<p>

So here I was, enjoying a meal at a pretty nice restaurant when suddenly, near the table next to me, a man falls through the roof.

He looked remarkably like a straw practice dummy.

Oh, and he also ruined my meal, but that's irreverent.

I stared blankly.

And then paid for the meal and left wondering why it would suddenly start raining humans.

I found the reason two seconds later when I saw Tsuna and the gang shopping nearby.

Great.

The all-famous Decimo of the Vongola Family is shopping in public with his deadly assassin friends who were creating chaos in general.

I decided to walk off…only to run into Kyoko and Haru.

'Ah, Kurogane-chan! Why don't you join us? I see Tsuna-kun over there!'

'Um…sure.'

I. Don't. Want. To.

But I'm a nice person, (In my opinion because I didn't just tell her to go away and get lost.) so I agreed.

They went over to greet 'Tsuna-san' and dragged me along with them.

A conversation started and I did my best to stay unnoticed...and failed.

'Ah, Mei, you're here too?' said Tsuna.

Yep, unfortunately.

'Hi.' Note: This was said with extreme depression and unenthusiastic-ness.

I tagged along and things were _mostly_ normal.

For some reason, there were explosions behind us and I swear that there was some random dude sent flying again.

Did that restaurant over there have _two_ holes in the roof?

Strange.

I dismissed it as coincidence and the shopping trip ended peacefully.

_**~A Few Days Later~**_

My laptop made a little _'Ping!' _ noise to signal email relating to mafia.

I raised an eyebrow.

Vongola Style Mama Appreciation Day?

I better prepare…

Where is my violin?

_**~At the Party~**_

Tsuna got flowers.

Wow.

He remembered.

All clap for the great Tunafish! (They actually did.)

Everyone, and I mean _everyone_ was here.

That included Dino, the Discipline Committee and lots of other people.

Reborn explained that they were going to have a special skills contest.

Since I already knew that, I had prepared in advance.

Did I mention I could play the violin?

It should do…As long as I don't get dead last, I'm happy.

Yamamoto started off with juggling sushi…that ended in disaster when Gokudera decided to sabotage.

Next, Ryohei broke a stone with an invisible punch.

Okay, sure, those of us in the mafia know that it's for real, but those who aren't…Well, you'll have a hard time convincing them.

Futa…I had originally thought he would use his gravity defying power, but…he played the harmonica.

It was childish, but then again he _is _a kid.

Lambo's was flat out lame. End of discussion.

And then came Haru, Kurokawa, and Kyoko with comedy.

My personal opinion? _Beyond_ lame.

Strangely, they got the highest score so far with was 85 points.

'And next up is…quiet and mysterious, shadow of the Vongola Family, Kurogane, Mei!' proclaimed Bianchi.

I sighed.

'EH? Mei?' exclaimed Tsuna. _I wonder what sort of talents she has…_

I took out my violin and went on stage.

'For my performance, I'll be playing the song, Never Meant To Belong.' I said.

Then I started.

Did I ever mention I like manga? Bleach and Naruto are awesome…Disagree and I will hurt you.

Anyways, the song I chose was one of the saddest and most emotional pieces I could find because I am the depressing emo freak of nature in that corner over there.

As I played the sad piece, I thought over my life.

For some reason, the song got sadder and sadder and I looked up a bit.

Okay, by now the violin sounded like it was crying and the audience looked like they were moved. Was that someone dabbing their eyes with a handkerchief?

I kept playing until the last note and then bowed.

Silence. Was that a bit too emo for normal people without traumatizing pasts filled with horror and evil?

Then they applauded.

It was _thunderous_ applause and I nearly fell from the impact.

Well, looks like they like it…

There were more cheers and whistles and Reborn said,

'So what would that be, Mama.'

'99 points! It was so moving, but a little too depressing…'

Ah, thought so…

'Wow, Mei! I never knew you could play the violin like that!' exclaimed Tsuna.

Well, I _did _start at age one and a half…Don't ask. Family tradition. Or should I say, _dead_ family tradition.

'Great job, Kurogane-chan!' said Yamamoto.

'Tsk.' said Gokudera.

I grinned and sat back down.

'Alright, next is…Cool and dangerous, Head of the Discipline Committee, Hibari Kyoya!'

Oh, so that's why the Discipline Committee members are here…

Hibari's act was…Hibird singing the school song.

And then he left.

Wow.

Just, WOW.

I don't know whether to either 1. laugh, 2. stare, or 3. drop dead from shock.

I decided on #2.

He never even got rated…

And then was the Dame-Tuna and the Self-Proclaimed Right Hand Man.

Their act involved knives, a box, and tunafish turned sushi.

Really, who in their right mind would do such a crazy act?

I'm not surprised that Yamamoto turned down his offer…Heck, even I can't do that without dying bloody, painful death from being stabbed repeatedly with multiple swords!

In the end, Tsuna survived, but Reborn won the contest because he was the one who hosted the party in the first place.

Makes sense, but did you _have_ put us through all that? Yes. Of course he did. He's Reborn.

Damn sadistic babies these days…

* * *

><p><em><strong>~The Next Day~<strong>_

I was going over to Tsuna's house to help him with homework since he failed a test as usual.

When I opened the door, I looked up just in time to see a purple bazooka heading my way.

'Mei!' Tsuna cried.

It hit me.

Crap.

And so it resulted in me floating down a pretty rainbow tunnel of glowing colors until I hit something.

Before I tell you what traumatized my poor eyes for all eternity, I should tell you this:

When one opens one's eyes to find themselves on a table surrounded by bat-shit crazy mafia boss wannabes, gay-lords with gender issues, stalker pedos in need of shaving, long haired sharks who need a mute button, eye-less bloodthirsty princes with unique knives and a human frog, you will be very, very shocked.

So considering I'm a normal human being, you really can't blame me for my reaction.

Which really wasn't a reaction because after living with Mafioso, my body had developed a defense mechanism for the sake of my sanity therefore, before I could react accordingly to the situation and scream my lungs out, I dropped dead on the spot.

_**~Random POV~**_

'Ushishishi~ She passed out already?' said Bel.

'Kurogane-senpai's younger form is very fragile.' Remarked a certain frog.

'VOOOOOI! WHAT THE HELL? We're supposed to train her younger form when she's this pathetic? DON'T SCREW WITH MEEEEE!' yelled Squalo.

Xanxus being the godly form that was above psycho assassins with major issues, decided to ignore everything and continue with his meal.

Levi, being Xanxus's madly devoted fan-boy, decided to copy his behavior and ignore what was going on.

'Moou~ You guys are too mean! Kuro-chan's younger self just wasn't prepared for the shock of meeting us all!' said the gaylord.

The said girl was currently out cold due to immense shock and sitting in the dining room with the entire Varia squad.

Sadly, (but good for her remaining sanity) she had absolutely no clue what was going on.

'VOOOOOI! SOMEONE WAKE HER UP!' yelled Squalo.

'Hey, you guys are too rough to the extreme! I'll take care of her!' said Ryohei.

Now, there are a couple things you should know.

Sasagawa Ryohei, the Sun Guardian, was currently staying with the Varia to train and Mei's older form had told him that to grow stronger, her younger self was to be trained by the Varia for one week before being taken to Tsuna.

They were allowed to use any means possible to make her understand the situation and get her up to date and ready to fight which was going to involve violence, pain, and blood and tears.

Ryohei carried Mei off to some random room and left her on a bed to recover.

Ah, the poor girl is in for one heck of a week.

* * *

><p><em><strong>~Back to Mei~<strong>_

When I came to, I realized that

1. I was still alive.

2. I was not dreaming since I was in a fancy Italian room with Varia symbols.

3. I was not returning to the past.

4. That must mean this was planned.

5. My life is definitely screwed.

And so, as I took in my surroundings, I was very, very cautious.

'Oh, hey, you're up!' said the person I assumed was 10-year-later Ryohei.

He was taller, his hair was a bit longer, and he seemed more mature than the hyperactive knucklehead of the past.

Actually...it was a bit unsettling, but then again, this is the future, isn't it?

'Hey…What's going on?' I asked.

Why the fuck am I in the Varia mansion instead of at, like, the Vongola mansion doing paper work with Tsuna?

Not that I want to be, but I'm just saying...

'Well, you see…'

2 hours later, I learned about what the heck happened in the past ten years, flames, boxes and…the fact that Varia was my tutors for the week.

How awesome.

I will die painful death at the sad age of 14.

'Anyways, now that you're up, IT'S TIME TO TRAIN TO THE EXTREME!' he declared.

Whut?

'Ushishishi~ So you're up?' said the person that was ten-year-later Bel.

He had apparently entered the room at some unknown point.

Compared to the past, his hair was longer and messier, but the tiara was still there.

'Um…yeah?'

Go away go away go away go away go away go away…

'Ushishishi~ Here's a box. Catch.'

And he threw me a silver box.

I caught it and stared at it.

Was the hole for my ring? Most probably…

'Ushishishi~ Training, start!' said Bel in a sing-song voice.

'Huh?'

And then I was dodging deadly waves of flaming knives that seemed to be the storm attribute and hiding under tables and chairs and whatever the heck else I could get my hands on.

Also, there was a mink high on sugar with it's tail on fire running around destroying everything it touched and chasing me like a tiger.

WTF KIND OF TRAINING IS THIS?

'Hey w-'

A knife missed my cheek by half a centimeter.

...THAT WAS CLOSE YOU BASTARD!

YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE TRAINING ME, NOT TRYING TO KILL ME!

I grabbed the box, somehow created a flame from desperation and stuck it in the box.

And out came…A cute little black panther cub with silver flames.

The fuck?

'Ushishishi~ Nice, you've got your box open.'

Great, now how the heck is a TINY CUB going to save my sorry ass from getting slaughtered?

Screw the box.

I got out my sword, attacked Bel…and failed.

'Ushishishi~ You should at least coat your weapon in flames.' He said.

On cue, my sword caught fire and it exploded.

Perfect.

Weaponless and helpless with a bloodthirty prince and a little cub.

I hate the world.

Another wave of flaming knives and red flames came at me and I ducked for cover.

The little cub was just looking at me quizzically and I thought, it's supposed to be a weapon right?

Can't hurt to try it out.

'Hey!' I called.

It yawned and turned the other way.

HOW THE HECK DID MY FUTURE SELF USE THIS THING?

As I avoided attacks by the prince, he said,

'Ushishi~ Here's a hint, call it by its name.'

Name?

How am I supposed to know its name?

Oh, wait, I'm the one who named it in the future so think, what would I choose…

'Yoi?' I tried. It was a sensible name that meant night. Maybe I named it for its dark coat?

It started grooming its fur without a care in the world.

I weaved past his pet mink and a couple knives and then tried again.

'Er…Tsuki?' I'm the Moon Guardian so maybe a name meaning moon?

It started scratching its back like crazy.

Fuck. This is hard.

'Ushishishi~ You'll have to do better than that.' said the fake prince as he threw some more knives over.

URGGHH! What the heck would I name this thing?

I looked at it desperately and tried tele-communication.

It yawned and fell asleep.

That's it.

I snapped.

'YUU! Help me!' I yelled.

It responded and attacked the mink.

I deadpanned.

_Are you kidding me?_

I named it _Yuu_ ? Okay, that sorta makes sense, but STILL. _Yuu?_ Was I thinking straight at that point?

Anyways, the silver flames seemed to surround his mink and harm it or something.

What were my flame abilities again?

Something about immobility and destruction from the inside…Or was it teleportation?

Or stronger at night on a full moon? Meh…who cares…

Don't blame me, that speech was two hours long. I shut down after 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Anyways, the mink was immobilized and looking like it was dying tragic death complete with squeaks of despair and dramatic poses and was that thing really not doing it on purpose?

Must be my imagination…

'Ushishishi~ congratulations on passing your first test. My jobs done~'

And then he vanished. Along with his half-dead mink that he picked up on the way out the door.

Nice. What a warm welcome to the Varia mansion.

* * *

><p><em><strong>~Somewhere Far Away~<strong>_

_Tsuna and Gokudera met Lal Mirch and future Yamamoto._

_They are shown the hideout and told about the situation._

_Reborn and Tsuna are united and they are to gather the Guradians together._

_They also discussed about things._

_'Oi, Reborn, is Mei alright?' asks Tsuna._

_'She's still alive in this era. Last time, she was on a mission with Varia and other than that, nothing much is known.'_

_'I see...' Tsuna murmured. _

**_~Back to Mei~_**

I was rudely awakened in the morning when Squalo decided to march in, grab me by the collar of my shirt, and yelled,

'VOOOOOOOIIIIIIIIII! Don't slack off, pathetic brat! Training starts now! Get moving!'

With that, we were somehow transported into this really empty room of nothingness and Squalo told me of his training.

The idiotic shark summed it up pretty well with a few words.

'VOOOOOOI! You'll be sparring 'till you drop! Got it?'

Oh yeah, I got it alright.

I got the fact that I'm sorta lacking, like say, _ten years of experience? _

Apparently, that didn't matter because he came at me nonetheless and the next few hours were very bloody indeed with a colorful mix of boxes, panthers, sharks, spilled guts, and broken walls.

We stopped when I fainted from blood-loss and absence of bone structure to support my bloody, beat up, and not-quite-so-so-dead-yet body.

_That_ was when he dumped me with Lussuria for god-knows-what-reason it may be.

I found out later that it was to heal my wounds and then came the guy with the frog hat known as Fran.

'Hello there, Kurogane-senpai. I'm here for your training.' he said in a monotone voice.

'And that would be?' I said warily.

He looked pretty harmless, but I highly doubt he was considering the fact that he's, y'know, _part of the Varia?_

_'_Oh, I'll be giving you hours of illusions to endure. It's mental training. You're not allowed to break out of it.'

Uhh...sounds easy right?

No.

I figured that out when a Bel voodoo puppet started singing karaoke, Levi became part octopus, tentacles were everywhere, and random crap started invading every inch of my brain.

It's gonna be a loooooong day.

* * *

><p><em><strong>~Hours Later~<strong>_

'Wow, Kurogane-senpai, you actually didn't try to break the illusion and endured it.' said Fran.

I sent a half-hearted glare at him.

That guy was a lot more creative than he looked.

Where the heck did Mukuro dressed in a pineapple costume singing lullaby's come from?

That one definitely scarred my eyes...

Anyways, dinner was served and I was allowed to return to my room.

A week of bloody sparring, dodging the unexpected flaming knife flying out of nowhere, occasional electric sea creature, illusion torture, and demon bosses.

Joy.

_**~With Tsuna~**_

_They encountered black spell and were injured._

_Kyoko, Haru, Ipin, and Lambo came and they started training with Lal._

_Gamma was encountered and Hibari appeared._

_Tsuna was to train with Hibari and Lal Mirch while the others trained as well._

_Both sides were growing stronger._

_It was just a matter of time before they were united._

**_~Back to Mei, 1 Week Later~_**

'So we're going to Japan to join forces with Tsuna?' I asked.

One week was up and I had grown considerablely stronger.

I had mastered my box weapons (It seemed I had many different kinds) and learned of my skills.

My silver flames show up like a flare on any radar and instantly betrayed the fact that I was the Moon Guardian since no one else had such flames.

Yes, I know, creepy right? It sucks to be that one weirdo who's different...

Most people have more than one element and for some reason, even my other elements are weird.

None of the flames were the ordinary kinds like Sky, or Storm or whatever. It sorta pissed me off...

At the moment, I was with Ryohei on a plane as he explained some stuff.

We were going to go pick up the Mist Guardian and meet up with Tsuna as soon as we get to Japan.

Well, at least I can get away from Varia and their crazy Spartan training for a while...

I wondered about my family. They should be fine, I thought.

They're super strong demons that can't be defeated, aren't they? What could possibly happen to them?

_**~While Mei and Ryohei head over to Kokuyo Land~**_

_'In other words...' said Gokudera_

_'The Vongola Special Assassin Squad...' continued Tsuna._

_'I'll put it on the monitor then!' said Giannini._

_Everyone turned to the screen as it came to life._

_'VRAAAAAAAAAAAAIT' yells a familiar voice._

_The base echoed from the impact of the thing known as Superbi Squalo's appearance._

_'Are your heads still attached? Damn lousy brats...'_

_'There we go, him.' muttered Gokudera, twitching._

_'T-Ten years in the future?' said Tsuna._

_'Squalo!' Yamamoto cheerfully exclaimed._

_'**Turn off that crap! I can't stand listening to it!' **says Lal Mirch while emitting killing intent._

_Giannini fulfilled her request while Varia talked with Tsuna and the others about the situation._

_Soon, Squalo got into a brawl with Bel and the connection cut off._

_'But what's this 'simple instruction' he was talking about?' said Tsuna._

_'I guess they must be referring to those two.' said Giannini._

_'Eh?'_

_'They should be returning from Italy.'_

_Footsteps were heard and they turned around._

_'Sasagawa Ryohei has arrived!' proclaimed Ryohei while he entered holding Chrome._

_A sigh was heard and behind him, it was Mei who somehow seemed...different...than before._

_'What kind of entrance was that?' yelled Gokudera._

_'Onii-san! And Chrome and Mei!' Tsuna exclaimed._

_And the reunion has happened at long last. _

* * *

><p><strong>Omake: Dinner Scene aka World War 3, Food Fight Style<strong>

'Ushishishi~ The prince has already finished your food.'

'Senpai, I'll starve to death if you do this everyday.'

'VOOI! Shut up, you two!'

'Mouuuuu~ Don't worry, I'll bring you seconds!'

'Hmph.'

'Hmph.' *cough* IMITATION, *cough*

The conversation (ish? I have no idea what it's known as) went on until IT happened.

Bel elbowed me which caused me to bump into Squalo which...caused me to accidentally spill my meal on his hair.

On SQUALO's hair.

As in, the perfect model hair that is groomed with Varia quality combing skills every morning at 5:00am that was arranged to flow over his back perfectly like some hot chick with a sword fetish.

Shit.

There was silence.

And then,

'VOOOOOOOIII! WHAT THE FUCK? I'LL KILL YOU!'

And so he hurled a chair at me which I dodged and then said,

'It was an accident!'

'DON'T SCREW WITH ME!'

'Ushishishi~ the peasant is screwed.'

'Kurogane-senpai is in trouble.'

The chair was followed by steak, a fork, a knife, some meat, a plate, a glass cup, and all sorts of other random crap until one accidentally hit Levi's face when I was dodging it.

'Hey!' He indignantly cried.

He proceeded to declare war on Squalo that was later joined by Bel when a fork knocked off his super girly- I mean princely, tiara of awesome-ness.

'Mou~, Mou~ Don't fight, everyone~'

'_Splat'_

A cup of_ something_ spilled onto Lussuria's mohawk. He blinked.

Then, in a voice I never thought the gay-lord could be able to produce, he growled,

'_You...' _in a low threatening voice.

And so an all out brawl started with Fran under the table, me in a corner, and the dining room turning into a nuclear battlefield.

It continued until Xanxus snapped.

'_Boom'_

_'Bang'_

_'Crash.'_

All brawlers were on the ground wincing in pain.

'**Shut. Up. Trash.'**

The results were instantaneous.

The following hours were dead silent with the occasional cricket chirp.

The lesson of this story:

In the Varia mansion, Xanxus is equivalent to lord himself. When he says something, DO IT. No questions asked.

Unless, for some incomprehensible reason, you want to die slow painful death at the hands of a psycho boss with a superior complex.

* * *

><p><strong>I finally had the time after I spent a couple hours clearing that stack of homework TT_TT.<strong>

**Anyways, hope you like the new chapter! **

**There wasn't much Varia interaction so to make up for it, I put an omake at the end.**

**R&R plz! :) **


	16. Where The Moon Is Always There

**Because I'm in the mood...We shall have an epic reviewing bet!**

**Reviews reflect upon the words per chapter! ****1 review=1000 words each!**

**I bet that you guys can't make me give up due to sheer extreme-ness of the quantity! ;)**

_**Author Response Thingie~ **_

**Kanojo wa Rinko – **_Thank you so much for the critic! I can't express my gratitude to you for pointing out my mistakes! Did you get the long PM I sent you? Anyways, THANK YOUUUUUU!_

**Elise Ferrel**_- Yay! You like both of my stories! Thank you for reviewing on both and here's a virtual cookie! Sorry I can't do much more…TT_TT_

**snowlemur26 –**_Yes! Of course I will keep writing! This fic is going to go on until the KHR series ends! I'll be sure to get some Hibari moments in there! Except now, it's the 10 year later Hibari…That'll go well won't it? XD Thank you for your reviews!_

**novellanite12 –**_ Of course I remember you! You were the first person to review on my very first story!...I think…And I agree, I love that Bleach as well. Thank you for your reviews!_

**Life. Is. A. Ray. Of. Sunshine –**_ Mei's Birthday is going to be at some time in the Future Arc where things are casual. Varia is awesome! It was sort of sad I didn't do that many moments with them, but the story has to move along. Thank you for all your reviews!_

**InK4bLoOd-**_ Thank you for reviewing on both of my stories! ^_^ I will try (and fail) to update fast for the sake of you awesome people out there! _

**TsubasaFan1230- **_Y__es! Mei's personality is loved! I worked so hard on her sarcastic, negative-ness since she's my first OC and I wanted something humorous! :) Thank you for reviewing on both of my stories!_

**SOMETHING YOU SHOULD READ:**

**Due to requests and pleas that I couldn't possibly ignore, I will put some romance into this chapter!**

**Romance...isn't my strong point, BUT...for you guys, I will do my best! It's mostly fluff though...**

**Any of you curious about the future Mei? **

**I recommend listening to some emotional anime theme while reading certain parts of this story.**

* * *

><p>"Reborn…What happened to my family? I have to know." I said.<p>

Right now, everyone had left after receiving Ryohei's fabulously shittastic news about the attack on the Millefiore.

Tsuna practically started crying tears of joy to see my insignificant self, alive and whole, though somewhat different and the others responded with either a laugh, a 'Tch', or a normal welcome.

Hugs were booted out of the oh-so-great, overly-fuzzy warm welcome because _SOMEBODY_ (namely, myself) seemed to have a thing against people intruding into my personal bubble of dark and evil that would be utterly annihilated when popped by happy-aura emitting mafia bosses since they are a deadly combo of mafiaso and blinding joy which, for a being of darkness such as myself, is more devastating than waves of radioactive poison.

Me being the ever so kind and caring boss of my hopefully un-dead family had no 'effing clue what the heck happened to them despite the fact that I was supposed to be, y'know, _their boss_?

I really do make a crap boss...

Reborn turned the other way and his eyes were shadowed by his hat which was NOT a good sign since when he does that, it usually translates into _I am going to inform you of crappastic information you're better off without knowing._

A sinking, nausea inducing feeling started to coil in the pits of my stomach as I realized the prolonged silence of one who usually laughed at the misery of someone else's suffering meant,

'They're gone, aren't they?' I murmured.

Reborn shook his head.

'Not exactly. Ever since the war started, you became more and more distant. Your family members were never even glimpsed and the Vongola has no information on their whereabouts. You vanished sometime and was never heard from.'

'I see...' I murmured.

Well that's nice.

My so-called demonic, undefeatable, #2 family mysteriously vanished off the face of the earth.

Isn't that just _so _helpful to my increasingly foul mood?

I walked out the door only to walk straight back in since I realized I had no frigging clue where my room was and Hibari was within 100 meter radius so I better watch where I go to avoid being 'bitten to death' as our carnivorous friend puts it.

'Reborn, where's my room?' I asked, voice devoid of emotion as usual.

'Room 189.' He says.

I nodded and made my exit.

Then I realized I STILL had no 'effing clue where the heck that was.

Oh well, I'll deal with it.

And so, I strolled through the halls of the vast Vongola base and wondered if my family had such a thing for themselves.

They were pretty damned rich, after all.

For some reason, the decorations became more traditional Japanese-y and a little voice in my head (Which I ignored) started nudging me to turn the other way.

I payed no heed to my self-created warning and proceeded on my way since the little numbers on the room now read 145 which meant I just have to keep going straight and I should reach my long-awaited destination.

I did not expect to run into life-threatening dangers along the way.

The said life-threatening danger came in the form of Hibari Kyoya and his all-mighty 'carnivore-ness' that could make anyone cower with fear.

Well, _almost _anyone.

When you have been subjected to massive amounts of flower-wilting (Actually the flowers were _already _wilted so they just turned to dust instead) killing intent courtesy of friendly S-rank assassins, you learn to cope with it.

'...'

'...'

Awkward silence.

Shattered by the sound of footsteps as Hibari made his way past her after having a stare-down with each other.

'Omnivore...' He muttered, so low that I couldn't really make out what he said.

He left and I shook my head.

What the heck was that all about?

Little did I know about the situations of the future.

* * *

><p><strong><em>~Original Future~<em>**

_There were three._

_One was an oddball with a serious thing for personal space like a drifting cloud._

_Another was a blank and presence-less being who watched everything like the moon in the night._

_And the last was kind and understanding though sometimes slightly dense like the open sky, willing to accept all._

_Somehow, the moon had unconsiously charmed them both with her eerrrr...grace? _

_No, that's not it...Talent? There's plenty of skilled mafioso out there._

_Personality maybe? Perhaps...that could be part of it._

_For whatever reason it may be, one would never know as such is the mysterious-ness of the Moon._

_But how do the other elements see her?_

* * *

><p><em>'Oi, vampire, what's with the face?' said Gokudera.<em>

_At this point, Gokudera now was 100% clear that Mei was not a vampire._

_But it came as a shock since he was deluded for, like what, 2 years? Somewhere around that..._

_However, he's been calling her that for so long and it really suited her so the name stuck especially since there was this one time she was stalked by a big band of vampire bats that wouldn't leave her alone._

_That was when 'Vampire Mafioso' become her official nickname._

_The two were together, filling their brains with an arsenal of never ending information by reading the ridiculously thick, dusty books in the Vongola Library._

_After long, memorable years together, the other guardians could tell the microscopical facial signs displayed on Mei's face and sort of figure out what she's feeling._

_'Nothing...' Mei murmured._

_Actually, a member of her family had been killed and she was depressed._

_Not that she really showed it, though._

_'Tch. If you say so.'_

_They all knew that absolutely NOBODY could make her spill the beans on something she didn't want them to know._

_They sat together in a friendly atmosphere._

_They were comrades. __And at times, rivals._

_He didn't forget all the times she saved him from rushing head first into suicidal missions due to his hot headed-ness._

_What do you know, looks like the Moon can calm the Storm._

* * *

><p><em>'Hello there, Mei.' greeted Chrome.<em>

_'Hey.' Mei responded as she walked into the room._

_They were doing paper work together and the two got along great seeing as they were the only female guardians._

_Soon, they struck up a conversation involving the family, fellow guardians, and of course, their boss._

_ Mei only truly opened up to the other female Guardian and the same can be said of Chrome._

_For what reasons? Simple. _

__When Mukuro had abandoned Chrome, Mei was the one who changed her.__

_The one who made her strong._

_When Mukuro had left, Chrome was broken, upset, and horrified._

_She wouldn't open up to anyone. She thought her world was over._

_She thought._

_Even though Mei was rejected many times, she never gave up._

_Not until she dragged Chrome out of the pits of darkness and made her open up to the world and survive._

_Survive and show Mukuro that she's her own person. __That he'll regret abandoning her._

_Why?_

_Mei knew the feeling of being abandoned._

_The feeling of losing what you had lived for._

_Nobody had helped Mei when the same happened to her and she had turned...cold._

_Heartless._

_A monster even. _

_That would be a fitting way to describe the Mei of the past._

_She was living all alone in the cold world and was willing to do anything to survive._

_Anything to be strong._

_Even if it meant destroying her very heart and her emotions._

_She had nearly succeeded too._

_Mei knew what true loneliness felt like and she would never let such an innocent girl suffer what she went through._

_Nobody should bear the pain of feeling so empty and alone._

_She had helped Chrome and trained with her until not even Mukuro could fight her without suffering grave injuries._

_The two became true friends._

_Bond together by the same pain._

_They watched each others backs and were trusted comrades, always there for each other._

_A true bond of friendship, as some might say._

* * *

><p><em>Mukuro.<em>

_Evil, cunning, demonic, mafia-hating freak._

_These two don't get along despite the fact that like Chrome, Mukuro was the mist element._

_Mei detested Mukuro to no ends and only acknowledges his existence when it's absolutely necessary._

_To Mukuro, Mei was amusing and not as weak and naive like, in his opinion, some of the other guardians._

_The two tend to avoid each other which is a good thing since you never know when they might decide to slit each others throats. _

_Seriously, Mei hasn't forgiven him for hurting Chrome at ALL and was still irked by his very presence. Thus the reason why she ignores him._

_Mukuro hates mafia and will do anything to damage them and killing Mei would be highly beneficial for him._

_The two should never be left in a room unsupervised._

_It is not good for either of their physical health._

_Or the health of the mansion._

* * *

><p><em>Mei walked down the hall towards her destination and passed Yamamoto while she was at it.<em>

_'Yo!' he called._

_Mei nodded in response and continued on her way._

_To Yamamoto, Mei was a__ powerful, but mysterious comrade that he could count on._

_She was always just...around._

_Watching, observing, and keeping an eye out for things._

_She had even saved him at some point from a bullet from behind._

_It was reassuring to know that the Moon is always there for you._

_He would like to know her better._

_Really, he would._

_Just...something about her seemed different._

_Something that told him not to since...let's just say...when cheerful baseball nuts capable of blinding through the usage of teeth try to approach a negative, withdrawn dark creature of the night...they don't mix well._

* * *

><p><em>Mei proceeded down her path through the long hallway of the massive Vongola mansion and passed Ryohei in the training room with the door open.<em>

_She observed a bit and then moved on, her presence never once detected by the Sun Guardian._

_To Ryohei, Mei was the 'Extreme Shadow' of the family and he respected her for her strength._

_She was strong enough to fight Hibari and that alone wins his respect._

_But sometimes, despite the fact that he works hard on his observation skills, he just can't detect her presence._

_It is somewhat disturbing to have an evil looking eye on a pale face materialize from the shadows behind you, thus the reason for the 'Shadow' part of his nickname for her._

_He never got used to it, that's for sure._

_Sometimes, the Moon can give the Sun some serious chills. _

_However, he also thinks of her as a friend and ally._

_Well, a shadow-y creepy ally, but nonetheless, STILL AN ALLY._

_Just saying._

_She would often help him in making the right decision, and without her, he would probably never get through his paper work without going crazy to the extreme._

_Though the thought of an extreme boxer rampaging through the mansion is probably what caused Mei to help him in the first place._

* * *

><p><em>'Kuro-nee-chan, can I have some candy?' Lambo asked sweetly.<em>

_He was now a charming young man with a thing for candy._

_He liked it best when she was the one to give it to him._

_It created a warm fuzzy feeling in his stomach._

_Mei turned to look at him and then finally gave in to his pleading expression that he had mastered after many years of dealing with the Moon Guardian._

_Mei sighed._

_She DID have a nice side afterall. Might as well let the kid enjoy the remains of his childhood._

_'Here.' she tossed some to him and he walked off happily._

_To the young Lightening Guardian by the name of Lambo, Mei was like an aloof big sister._

_Despite the fact that the cow annoyed her to no end, she wasn't that harsh on him and occasionally gave him candy._

_Well, when she was in the mood that is. And...she had a soft side. One that is rarely show and only known to exist by 7 people._

_But Lambo would never forget the time that she comforted him when he was crying over the death of a relative._

_Somehow, in some way, she had understood him perfectly and healed his broken heart._

_To him, Mei was a kind big sister who would always be there._

* * *

><p><em>And then of course, the cloud.<em>

_'...'_

_'...'_

_Comfortable silence enveloped the two as they sat together sipping tea._

_You put an anti-social person with another anti social person and what do you get?_

_A quiet atmosphere, that's what. But in a good way._

_Mei was Hibari's sparing partner and he secretly enjoyed her company since she didn't make him feel 'crowded' by being around._

_She was strong and independent, not a herbivore like so many others._

_When he was around her, he had an warm feeling in his chest._

_He didn't know why, but for some reason, he also seemed to have an indescribable urge to murder someone for being within five feet of her._

_Strange._

_He's usually not like this._

_However, the poor souls unaware of this fact who courted the Moon Guardian for mafia matters (and were rejected, duh) didn't have help from divine intervention when they were hunted down later by predator unknown._

_Hm._

_Wonder who it was._

_And so, the Cloud was quite attached to the Moon and to him, she was someone he tolerated and somewhat welcomed._

_But not with open arms since that would ruin his 'cool' image._

* * *

><p><em>Then the sky.<em>

_The night sky without a moon would be pretty boring, don't you think?_

_'Mei, thanks for your help. It would've been torture without you.' Tsuna said as he finally finished all his paperwork._

_Mei offered a small grin and put up her pen._

_As the boss of the greatest mafia family known to mankind, you also have the greatest amount of paperwork known to mankind._

_Mei was quite willing to help him with paper work as opposed to, you know, going on assassinations?_

_She might be cold-blooded, but remember, the little girl from so long ago is still part of her._

_It's what makes her human, afterall._

_To Tsuna, Mei was the light that shined through darkness and guided him._

_He grew closer and closer to her and felt a bit hollow when she wasn't around._

_However, her smile can make him warm and fuzzy all over, not unlike what Kyoko triggered at times._

_He didn't know what it was._

_He just knew he couldn't possibly do without her._

_She was his friend, guardian, and ally boss._

_Does that mean that it would be normal to court her and get married for the sake of strengthening family bonds?_

_Wait, why the heck is he thinking this in the first place?_

_Erase crazy thoughts, e_rase crazy thoughts, e__rase crazy thoughts...__

__All in all, the Moon was precious to everyone.__

__An orb of pale light in the night sky to lighten up their darkness.__

* * *

><p><em>'Mei, are you alright!' Tsuna exclaimed, charging into the room and going by Mei's side.<em>

_'ARE YOU ALIVE TO THE EXTREME?'_

_'How are your wounds?' Yamamoto seriously asked._

_'Mei...you're okay, right?' Chrome quietly asked from the bedside._

_'Kuro-nee-chan! Don't leave me!' cried Lambo._

_'Oi, vampire, don't you dare die on me!' Gokudera growled, despite the worry evident in his eyes._

_Hibari was there, some what distanced from the others, but Mei could feel his gaze on her._

_'You guys...I'm fine.' she says while in a hospital bed with countless tubes attached to her._

_'What part of you is?' Tsuna exclaimed._

_She had fractured ribs, damaged leg, broken arm, sprained ankle and wrist, and a variety of minor non-life-threatening injuries._

_The girl had gone off on a crazy secret mission by herself and although she was very successful, she was pitted against impossible odds and it was a miracle she was still alive._

_'Promise me that you will NEVER do that again, you hear me? NEVER.' Tsuna said, desperation in his voice._

_'I agree with the him for once. Such things are unacceptable.' said Hibari._

_'Hai, hai...' Mei said._

_They were all relieved that she was alive, but for two certain people, this incident had triggered something else._

_Tsuna realized that he didn't just care for her dearly._

_He can't live without her. He just CAN'T. It would be too much if he lost Mei above anyone else._

_ Wait, does that mean that he's in love with her?_

_Yes, Tsuna, it does. You'll realized it soon enough._

_As for our aloof cloud, he remembered his brief moment of shock and panic that was induced by the news of Mei being near-dead/dying._

_That's when he realized that he cared for her much more than he thought he did._

_What was this feeling? Is this...love?_

_It seems that talented mafioso have issues when it comes to emotions._

_Before they ever confessed or even acknowledged that they were in deep love, a war started._

_Ah, the tragic fate of those in the mafia..._

* * *

><p><em>'Mei, are you sure about this?' Tsuna worriedly asked.<em>

_Mei gave the faintest of faint smiles only detectable to those who know her well and said,_

_'Of course.'_

_They had just been discussing about her sparring with Hibari so much after every mission and truth to be told, Tsuna was worried about her well being._

_And...yes, he was a bit protective of his Moon Guardian and disliked it when she walked through the headquarters covered in blood._

_However, our emotionally-dense friend had dismissed that as the boss being pissed about her dripping blood all over his precious mansion as opposed to being concerned about her._

_Lately, she had become more and more distant, leaving him to wonder if things were really okay._

_Tsuna's official ceremony in which he becomes Decimo was right around the corner and preparations were being made._

_For some reason, whenever she was gone, he felt like something was missing._

_Something that used to be constantly there._

_Like the moon in the sky that only appears at night._

_The one that is often forgotten and overshadowed by all the other factors in play._

_The one...that was irreplaceable no matter what as he found out over the years. _

_'Well, what do you think you'll be doing after the ceremony's over?' Tsuna asked._

_Mei stiffened ever so slightly and Tsuna's Hyper Intuition started ringing alarm bells in his head._

_'I guess I'll be...around.'_

_When the ceremony's over...so will her mission._

_And unknown to him, her family was dying._

_Something was wrong. _

_Some mysterious family was destroying every member one by one, family by family._

_It was just like what had happened to her parents all those years ago._

_Up till this point, the murderer was still unknown despite Vongola's aid in investigating._

_After all their wasted effort, Mei had said that it was unnecessary to try and solve an unsolvable mystery but...she herself never gave up. _

_She was still looking for the one who killed her parents._

_The one who might possibly be harming her new family._

_Inflicting pain on her just now pieced together life._

_She knew, without a doubt, that these times of rare happiness were soon to end._

* * *

><p><em>The Vongola Family was attending yet another funeral for a fallen comrade due to the war with Millifiore.<em>

_Tsuna was made Decimo and Mei was practically non-existent now days. _

_Funerals were the only times he even caught a glimpse of her before she vanished yet again._

_The missing Moon left a gaping hole in the Sky._

_Hibari was slightly disappointed to learn that she would no longer be able to spare with him and...he would miss her._

_Very much._

_But she had given him a true and ever so rare smile to make up for it._

_However, there was something awfully final about it._

_ As if it was the last he would ever see of her. The last of the only one he ever had feelings for._

_His instincts were partly right._

_For Mei, this was the 4th funeral in one day._

_She had just returned from her own family's private funeral._

_The Segreto's had kept their situation under the wraps and no outsider knew that they had lost 1/4 of their already-small amount of members._

_A pattern was discovered after many assassinations._

_Whenever a member was killed, it always happened under impossible circumstances and unbeatable odds._

_It made Mei wonder if this was how her parents died._

_Fighting until the very end._

_The corpse was the only thing left._

_The Segreto member would always take many down with them before finally passing away, and to the horror of the remaining Segreto Family, the very comrades of the assassins burned their own allies' bodies and left not a single clue behind._

_This had showed that it was the work of an Unknown Family with so many sources that they could afford to purposely send subordinates to sacrifice in a suicidal mission._

_A suicidal mission that is complete once a member of her family falls._

_Each time, the results are the same._

_Uncountable lives traded for the sake of eliminating a single one of her comrades._

_Mei utterly despised the boss of these people._

_A boss willing to kill his subordinates just to do damage to her family._

_Luke, Matt, and Alicia were still alive, but many had lost loved ones and the eldest member of the family had passed away._

_Things were just getting worse._

* * *

><p><em>Mei sent Tsuna a letter to let the man know that she was alive.<em>

_T__he war with the Millifiore was going out of hand and Mei was fully aware of Tsuna's plans.___

_She wasn't the best information collector without a good reason._

_Nothing escapes the Moon that hung up there, watching everything from so far away._

_She knew, that whether she liked it or not, her younger self would be dragged into this._

_So she knew how to prepare herself._

_Luke, Matt, and Alicia were to be the members in charge and were informed of everything._

_There were long goodbyes and tears shed as their boss left them, not to return for a long time._

_Much too long as a matter of fact._

_She then attacked the Millifiore and did some damage, just to support the Vongola._

_Afterwards, she headed towards an old ally who wouldn't be held back by compassion._

_She could have gone to Tsuna._

_But she knew that his feelings would interfere, as such is his nature._

_When she went to the Varia Mansion, she was treated with grudging respect and was there for the sole purpose of making the Varia repay their debt._

_Once, when the Millifiore nearly had them, she had come just in time with the help of the vast information network and saved them._

_She told them that her younger self will be here at some point and that when it happens, they are to train her as brutally as possible for what was to come._

_Her last meal ended when a poof of smoke surrounded her and made her vanish, once and for all._

* * *

><p><strong><em>~Before Mei Vanished Into The Past~<em>**

_Tsuna was distressed._

_It had been months since he's had any contact with Mei and he was worried beyond belief._

_'Judaimei, a letter arrived! It's from Mei!' yelled Gokudera as he ran through the halls of the mansion._

_This drew the attention of the boss and he immediately perked up._

_'Here.' said Gokudera._

_Tsuna opened the letter and was greeted with the familiar handwriting of his Moon Guardian._

_However, the contents of the letter left him far from relieved._

**_Tsuna, I have left for a while._**

**_However, someday, we'll meet again._**

**_-Mei_**

_Those words had a dark ring to it and it sounded as if she was going to do something dangerous._

_Tsuna showed the letter to Gokudera and his eyes narrowed._

_'Judaimei...' _

_There's no way Mei could know of his plan, right?_

_What on earth was she doing at a crucial time like this._

_He hoped she wasn't in too much trouble._

_Afterall, if her younger self doesn't make it out alive due to his plan, he would never forgive himself._

_She was the girl he loved, after all._

* * *

><p><strong>I hope that wasn't too sappy or anything...this is my first time writing romance TT_TT<strong>

**Forgive me if it sucks...But tons of people were asking for it so...I just did my best!**

**Hope you enjoyed!**

**Don't forget the bet and R&R to make my day! ^_^**


	17. The Operation Starts

**First of all: You guys win the bet! I surrender! TT_TT**

** I couldn't keep up since...typing 25,000 words for this chapter would've totally _killed _me.**

**But it's still 10,000 words! :D Pretty long if you ask me with everything that been going on lately...**

**(Not to mention a new fan reviewed 16x which doubled the reviews and all...Thank you very much for reviewing! I love you for that! But, um, if I try to keep up, I'll either fail school or die of exhaustion...ehehehe...)**

** I'm really, really sorry for the extreme delays! **

****I've been having some 'issues' in real life and as you've probably noticed, the updates for the past errrr...month or so...have been virtually nonexistent.****

_**The author response thing has been moved to the end of the story**_** because it just makes more sense that way for some reason...**

****Everyone, thank you for all the reviews and faves! They are and always will be appreciated very much!****

**Now, _finally,_ to the new chapter!**

* * *

><p>On a normal, non-crappy day of the merry thing known as life, you don't open the door of your bedroom to find a soon-to-be war zone, but apparently, that's not the case.<p>

I just stared ever-so-politely and blanched as Lambo and Ipin tried to kill each other with water guns or something and Tsuna and the others headed this way.

Something tells me I should get in my room before something blows up.

That plan did not go well.

Before I could react, a grenade landed in Tsuna's hands and a miniature game of explosive hot potato began.

In the end, Yamamoto's inhuman freaky baseball reflexes saved our sorry butts from getting blown to the next base slightly charred while we're at it.

The alarm going off only added to my forever growing headache as the annoying beeping began and made me want to kill something to vent my frustration.

The fiasco in which the front of my door was blown up resulted in the stupid cow getting a massive lecture from all those who were disturbed by the alarm.

Personally, I'm quite surprised that Hibari didn't come down here to turn the cow into fried bacon seeing as the alarm would've popped his bubble of aloof cloudy-ness that is the barrier that separated 'carnivores' from us 'herbivores'.

Perhaps the alarm doesn't ring in his half of headquarters?

Who knows…

Moving on, I must have improved on hiding my presence greatly since nobody had noticed me despite the fact that I've been tailing them for like what, thirty minutes?

Either that, or they are purposely ignoring me.

I vote on the former.

I continued my trailing, aka stalking, as we entered the meeting room for yet another lecture on the functions of our awesome, chaos-inducing base filling with deranged Mafioso.

Lal Mirch and those who are not completely dense (Ahem, REBORN) shot a glance in my direction and the meeting started as the meanings of the various alarms were explained.

And then, of course, the said alarm goes off again and I narrow an eye that was sadly, as usual, unnoticed to the intended target so therefore, I had to go through the effort of opening my mouth to speak the ever-so-important words of,

'What's going on?' to the dense mechanic known as Giannini.

And then, predictably, the room (minus Lal and Reborn) turns to stare at me like I was some sort of alien that dropped out of thin air.

'Vampire! When did you get here!' yelled the octopus head.

'Since Lambo threw a grenade.' I deadpanned.

'E-Eh?' He said, somewhat shocked by the fact that his almighty self failed to detect my presence even though he was Tsuna's self-proclaimed right-hand-man.

'You were with us that long?' said Tsuna, eyebrow twitching and staring at me like there was something on my face.

'Ahahaha! I never noticed!' the baseball nut cheerfully proclaimed.

As for Ryohei, he was shocked, but sort of saw it coming since these entrances were so common in the future with Mei's new skills and experience and stuff.

But that didn't mean that he didn't nearly go 'Maximum Cannon!' on the wall in alarm.

Epic appearance aside, Giannini and Reborn explained the situation and then Spartan Sun Style training begun with support of Reborn who, for some unknown reason, was dressed up like a dead, dried up shell of some undiscovered bug.

The fashion sense of the world's #1 hitman never ceases to amaze me.

As the high and mighty Moon Guardian and due to the fact that I'm a (not so)fragile little girl who can't do physical labor, I was excluded from their insanity.

...

Well actually, I just death glared them until I got my way (It was surprisingly easy).

Maybe I should do this more often just to catch a break from power-crazy so-called acquaintances in need of deodorant...

Wait a sec.

Is it just me or is the room getting warmer?

Reborn picked up this was well and I just ignored it and kept to my sad little self as usual.

When the group found out that Lambo was in danger, I just stood back and settled down while they went off to save the might-be-barbequed cow.

Which means I get plenty of alone time with our neighborhood Arcobaleno by the name of Lal Mirch.

Yay. How awesome. I am soooo happy.

'...Oi, are you prepared for the invasion?' Lal asked after a long moment of silence.

'More or less.'

Indeed.

After all the crap Varia put me through, I felt like I could take on anything.

'I see...Well, we'll be counting on you, Kurogane.' She muttered, getting up and preparing to leave the room.

Then my eyes widened a little as I realized Lal was wobbly on her feet and the Arcobaleno killing thing must have gotten into the base for the brief period of time we had some problems.

And we are supposed to have an attack in a week.

I can certainly tell that that's gonna go well, despite my assistance.

Why?

Because we're going on an insane invasion that is pretty damn impossible since it'll be pitting around 5 people against what, a couple thousand trained soldiers armed with the newest weapons?

Indeed, that will go well, won't it?

And let's not forget our poor little Mist Guarding slowly rotting away on a hospital bed, now shall we?

Oh yes, life is a wonderfully crappastic thing indeed.

I can never get over how the universe just LOVES to make me happy.

Yay.

* * *

><p>A scowl graced my face as I flipped through dust filled books so thick and heavy that I can barely lift it.<p>

Along my side was a laptop and various information sources for tips on combat.

Why the heck am I doing this when I should be, like, training my sorry butt off for survival purposes?

Because I'm the type of person who always needs a plan.

And apparently, the self-proclaimed right hand man agrees with me.

'Vampire, what the hell are you doing here?' Gokudera growled through clenched teeth.

Oh right.

The library was his territory.

Bleh. No one cares.

'The same reason you're here. Strategy and combat tips.' I said, brief and terse.

He 'tched' and then moved off to some other section to research on his crap.

I was focusing on good one-man-cell back up plans that might be necessary once we enter the base since if it comes down to it, I'll fly solo and do as much as possible since chances of being separated are pretty damn high.

Besides, in real life, things usually never go according to plan and it's almost certain we'll have to improvise at some point.

While we're on the subject of combat and battle strategy, I guess I should give you a good outline of my own abilities.

I have one box weapon and one box only due to the fact that it's the only one that was customized for my flames.

That's right.

Want to hear some _fabulous_ news?

The great moon flames aren't just frigging rare.

They're freaking _non-existent._

With the exception of my blood relatives (all dead, so basically just myself) and few top members from a long line of Segreto family side branches or something.

It seemed that my family was just...different.

There were 7 unknown elements that are apparently limited to us only and I don't know whether I should feel proud, or be extremely weirded out.

Hm.

Not to mention the custom made box weapons and rings.

Am I the only one who thinks something is seriously suspicious about this?

Anyways, you know the drill.

I worked my butt off, got some kick-ass sword moves, dagger moves, blade moves in general.

Special techniques...meh...nothing much there.

Varia just improved everything and didn't work on something in particular so nope, I don't have any special moves.

Just good old stragtegy and brute force (For me, most of my 'force' comes from speed since I'm...y'know...extremely vertically challenged? As well as lacking a muscle complex?).

But anyways, time went on and the Guardians of Vongola trained for the sake of their lives.

Yamamoto seemed to be cooped up in his dojo place longer than ever with the demon baby, Tsuna was usually training in the metal training room (ocasionally with Hibari), Gokudera is somewhere random in the base (probably to avoid accidentally killing someone with his explosive techniques), 10-year-later Ryohei was seen training everywhere he goes and 10-year-later Hibari's training if he did, was unknown.

Nobody knows what the heck that guy does.

Not that I'd want to know. I'm just stating the facts.

And then that leaves me, the typical loner with no life excluding the jacked up mafia one that is soon to end.

Here's my routine.

Shoot large amounts of potential death inducing deathperation flame weapons at myself and take 'em down while increasing the quantity each time.

Bleh.

I'm actually starting to get used to all this.

That is not a good thing.

* * *

><p>I scowled as I took down the targets for at least the 50th time in the past hour.<p>

Since everyone else was busy training their sorry butts off, I thought I should work harder because I'm flying solo midway and all.

Remembering Lal's state earlier only heightened my determination.

My personal decryption or her earlier words and actions basically concluded that Lal was having problems and was making sure that back-up was available just in case she can't make it.

I mean really, why else would she ask if I'm prepared and then walk out the room stumbling? (Though I'm quite sure that was unintentional. Lal would never intentionally show weakness to others.)

Oh, and it has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that Tsuna has become a totally badass warlord with new and improved flaming gloves of death.

And that he can spar with Hibari and come out ALIVE.

And that he can still have enough time left over to do training with Lal and Reborn.

Not to mention socialize with Haru and Kyoko.

Oh yes, it has absolutely _nothing _to do with those little tidbits of unnecessary information.

That was like waving a big, mocking sign in front of me saying, 'You are unworthy. You are weak. Get a move on, lame-ass.' while forcing me to watch the kid that I'm supposed to be _guarding_ go into BAMF mode and annihilate some random assassins while the I sit in a corner after getting my ass handed to me on a silver platter by the sharkie swordsman.

So it's pretty self-explanatory as to why I'm now putting immense effort in training until I'm at the top.

Me and Yuu (My panther. Why I named her that I have no idea. And yes, it's a her.) took a little water break and refreshed ourselves before taking on yet another barrage of flaming weapons.

My self-invented training was to go into a room of homing weapons armed with my now upgraded and flame-coated blade and take on the said weapons in hopes of improving along with my box weapon.

Yes, it's working.

No, I am not satisfied considering Tsuna fights Hibari _every single day,_ trains some more by himself, trains with Lal and Reborn, and STILL has time to look after his Guardians.

It must be because of the Blood of Vongola inside him that can turn a hopeless sea creature with no brain into a deadly soon-to-be mafia boss armed with combustible hands.

Oh yes, that must be it.

I had once tried to copy Tsuna's zero-point breakthrough and I had failed.

Badly.

Don't ask for the details.

It involved blood, sharks, and tragic, mortal-injury inducing accidents due to a perfectly timed failure.

It makes me wonder how Tsuna managed to master the thing in about one week and use it on XANXUS.

The universe is such and unfair place.

I should make a journal just for the sole purpose of recording all the times I've said that.

Me and Yuu went back to work and I hacked away at the fast approaching weapons of mass destruction with my flaming blade while Yuu turned into a combination of writhing teeth, claws, and an occasional roar.

And the cycle goes on and on as we fight the highly dangerous weapons surrounding us.

Which, in my opinion, still isn't enough to make up for the ocean of space that separated my combat abilities from Decimo.

* * *

><p><em><strong>~A Really Long Time Later~<strong>_

I walked through the halls after yet another training session.

No one was around to train me since Reborn declared I was all clear due to what Varia put me through, but I wasn't satisfied.

Each day, I increased the amount of weapons and firepower aimed at myself and tried to become even stronger since I knew Tsuna will need all the help he can possibly get in his situation.

Not to mention my personal plans.

Did I tell you about how I'll be splitting halfway from everyone else? No?

Well, now you know.

I'm actually kind of happy since now I don't have to worry about dragging them down or something.

Besides, isn't helping from the dark the Moon Guardian's duty?

...

Okay, it's really just an excuse to not go with them.

I've never fought alongside these guys and I think this is a better way of doing things.

I mean come _on._

I've never even seen Tsuna fight in this era.

I just know about his moves and his level, but that's pretty much it.

Same applies for the other guardians.

So I really can't work with them that well, don't you think? I'll probably drag them down or get in the way...

And no, I'm not doing this because I'm a selfish emo who just hates humanity in general. I promise.

Speaking of which, I should inform Reborn about this soon...

That's right.

He doesn't know. Bleh. Can't wait to tell him...Why the heck am I doing this in the first place?

Because, oh-curious-one, if I go and wreck havoc on the other side of the base while they sneak in all secretive an stuff, their sucess rates skyrocket while my survival rates plummet.

I understand our situation perfectly and I knew that anything that can increase our success is necessary or else we might just all die.

Am I that suicidal?

Yes and no.

Escaping from tight situations seem to be the only thing I'm good at an this can be like the ultimate test for my skills or something.

Or I could just die.

But the others don't need to know that.

I paused when I saw a familiar figure up ahead, muttering to himself quietly.

'Tsuna?' I say.

'Ah!' He gasped. Then he turned around.

'Mei! What are you doing here?" he asked with a confused expression since I've was never around, despite the fact that we technically lived under the same roof.

Meetings were the only times I showed up and I ate all my meals alone someplace quiet.

But anyways, the we started a conversation about why Tsuna was staring into space and not training with Hibari.

"Well you see..." He explained what happened and what Hibari said.

Hm.

Sounds like something the 'aloof cloud of death' would say.

'And I really don't understand what he means.' Tsuna admitted, scratching his head and putting on that face he makes when he's confused or struggling.

Knowing Hibari and Tsuna's way of battle...I guess he must be referring to Tsuna's lack of flashy, offensive techniques.

It made sense the more I thought about it.

Nearly everyone had one of those ultimate, last resort moves for desperate situations or just to blast your opponent away and end the battle right there.

Everyone except Tsuna.

So I guess we better come up with one.

'Well...have you ever tried using your flames by shooting them?' I suggested, thinking back to Xanxus and his occasional fits of rage when he gets peeved.

Tsuna seemed to shudder a little and then said,

'I tried that once. I held the gloves in front of me and summoned the flames intending for it to shoot forward, but instead, I went backwards and sort of self destructed.' he said, grinning sheepishly at me.

I raised an eyebrow.

So that's the problem...

Too bad I don't have anything to do with this.

'Well, work hard. Just don't forget that's I've got your back and your friends always support you.' I say, walking off to grab some food and leaving Tsuna behind me who, for some reason, suddenly seemed lost in thought.

I mentally shrugged.

It was probably nothing...

**_~Few Minutes Later~_**

'That's it!' Tsuna exclaimed, suddenly hit with inspiration and understanding of Mei's earlier words.

A certain brunette headed off to the training room to wreck havoc on the poor walls and test his theory of mass destruction.

Somewhere in the base, a black-haired girl thought she heard a cry of triumph and big 'Bang!'

She ignored it.

* * *

><p>When I walked passed the training room, I thought I'd check up on Tsuna and apparently, Yamamoto and Reborn had the same idea.<p>

'Yo, Kurogane-chan!' Yamamoto greeted, waving cheerily.

'Ciaossu.' and then the classic Italian demon says hi.

'Are you here to check up on Tsuna?' Yamamoto asked.

I nodded wordlessly and opened the door to find...Tsuna on the ground with a suspicious upside down human shaped dent on the wall about 20 feet above the floor.

...

How odd.

I turned around and left while Reborn and Yamamoto went over to the side of the burnt Tuna.

I went off to my room turned off the lights to lay on my bed.

I was troubled, apparently. I had all the signs.

Distraced while training, offering advice to Tunas, and even starting to _care _about things enough to go and check it out.

Oh yes, all the signs are coming alright...Why am I talking as if being troubled is some sort of feared disease?

Whatever.

As much as I hated to admit, deep down in my heart, buried someplace that will never be reached, I was worried sick about my family.

They aren't dead, are they?

I wouldn't let them...I would never let something like that happen again...like 7 years ago.

The bus dropped me off at memory lane and I had a brief flash of blood and screams in my mind.

I shivered slightly and murmured,

'Never again...' while I let myself drift to sleep.

**_~In Dreamland~_**

A big round white machine stood in front of me and on the other side, there were a few figures.

A voice said something I couldn't make out and I felt a tug in my stomach that urged me to go to the white machine.

I thought I saw Irie Shoichi too.

I took a step forwards.

Then the dream ended.

* * *

><p><strong><em>~At a Meeting~<em>**

We all gathered around the table as Ryohei informed us of the news.

Blueprints of the enemy base.

That is some _seriously _useful information and helps us greatly in our soon-to-be attempt at taking down Milliefiore.

But that led to a new question.

Who did this?

Tsuna suggested Mukuro and I agree because he totally seems like the stalker type that will sneak in under disguise and pull this off.

Besides, there really isn't anyone else, is there? I'm actually kind of grateful for the great pineapple head now...

Then some more blueprints popped up and my eyes widened.

This figure...no...it can't be...

And then, just when I was hoping that this crappy world would make me _wrong _for once_, _it grants me some charity by creating a shining beacon to alert me that sadly, I am correct.

'This machine...I've seen it before!' Tsuna exclaimed.

Everyone turned to stare at him and then he added that it was in a dream.

Which, of course, caused Lal to nearly leap across the table to go rip his head off in rage.

Luckily she didn't succeed when someone interfered.

'Then?' Reborn prompted.

...Whoa, hold on, did Reborn just _support _Tsuna for a change?

What happened to the usual potential death inducing hammer on the head followed by the classic 'you will forever be a Dame Tuna' speech?

Hm.

I guess war situations really do bring out the other side of people.

Reborn took Tsuna's dream seriously and I can't help, but notice how similar the two dreams were.

And then Lal is the one who refuses to take any superstitious bull-crap as usual.

'Are you insane, Reborn?' She yelled, standing up and glaring at him.

I figured it's time I should speak up.

'I had the same dream.' I admitted.

'Huh?' Everyone then turned to stare at me and I did a dramatic sigh in my head.

'I saw the white machine with Irie Shoichi there as well.'

'Anything else?' Reborn said, turning to me with an absolutely serious expression.

I hesitated and then said,

'I felt pulled towards it. As if there was something inside that urged me to go there.'

And that concluded the case.

When we invade, we were to add the white machine to our target list.

To add to it all, Reborn even said that he had the same experience when he received his pacifier.

That perked Tsuna's curiosity as well as my own, but Lal wasn't going to give any answers.

Why do I feel like I forgot something...Oh right.

My own plans.

Crap.

I was going to inform Reborn about it privately, but...I guess it can wait.

* * *

><p>All was well. I was simply going for a scroll.<p>

And then...

_"BOOM!"_

Bodies slam, butt meets floor, brains on the verge of spilling out.

Oh and don't forget the stars.

The lovely stars that flew around my head in circles and told me that I'm seeing things.

What the hell was that? I internally groaned, prepared to start death glaring whatever had the nerve to run me over like that.

'Tsuna...what are you doing here?' I muttered when I got up and took a good look at the _thing_ that caused me pain.

'Ah! Mei! I'm so sorry!' He gasped, red flooding his features.

I just sighed and dusted him off like a mother hen (holy crap, am I getting soft? No, no, that's not it...It's out of pity! I swear it's out of pity!... believe me, will you?)

After I made sure Tsuna wouldn't run into random objects, we walked along the halls together and had a chat.

It's really been awhile, afterall, I never show up for anything other than meetings.

'So you're looking for this charm?'

He nodded viciously and I just trailed along quietly.

'Maybe it got mixed up with your laundry. Why don't you head to the washrooms and check?' I suggested.

'You're right! Thanks!' And then he sprinted off.

...

Looks like Tsuna seriously likes Kyoko...can't wait for the happy couple to get married...if they ever reach the age of eighteen, that is.

* * *

><p>I sat on my bed in my usual sulking fit of painfully negative thoughts that seem to occur almost religiously now days.<p>

A plate of food was left almost untouched on the bedside table.

The invasion would happen soon. And I still haven't told Reborn of my plans.

You know, ever heard of the saying that if you just automatically assume you are going to die, ultimately, when you die (because at this point, I know that, that's frigging inevitable) you'll have less regrets?

I know, I know, I'm going dangerously close to the 'Emo Zone' area and really, you can't blame me considering all the crap that's happened can you?

I can't help, but think how regretful I'll be if I die so soon.

I'll leave the mission my parents left me unfinished.

I'd shame the Segretos.

Speaking of Segretos, there's still no word from my family.

I was tempted to go drill Reborn every single day on the whereabouts of my family, but after five tries and an extremely irritated response plus a baby close to letting loose a highly dangerous mass destruction streak, I stopped asking the Vongola for answers.

Every time, his answer was the same.

'We have no information concerning their whereabouts.'

Typical.

Reborn and the Vongola would only care about stuff that effects their family.

Oh, hey, what do you know, I call them 'the Vongola' now.

Hm.

I wonder why.

It might have something to do with the fact that everything can still be traced back to the death of my parents and the ultimate sacrifice that came from _my _side of the family.

We lost lives, family, and comrades and yet they have the nerve to just brush us off when we express concern.

My parents...Tsuna...

In the end, it's a repeated cycle of thought, huh.

Urg...snap out of it, idiot!

You have an operation soon, you need to _complete_ the mission left by your parents, and you need to endure the crap _no matter how shitty it is._

End of discussion.

Besides, Reborn's probably the only one who acts like this and deep down, he probably cares, but is distracted by the current situation.

Even I would be if I was in his position.

It must be the nerves...I can't afford to doubt my friends right now.

* * *

><p><em><strong>~At Dinner~<strong>_

Kyoko and Haru presented their feast and Bianchi tried to poison everyone as usual.

In the room far away, Mei finally decided to move out and head off to the meeting room.

By herself, of course. Typical of her.

But most don't know that.

'Eh? Where's Mei?' Tsuna asked as everyone finished up.

'Now that you mention it...she never shows up for meals, does she?' Yamamoto quizzically said.

'Tch. She'll eat when she's hungry. Besides, the vampire'll show up when she feels like it and we know she manages on her own.' Gokudera stated.

'Oh...' Tsuna murmured, eyes downcast.

'Don't worry, Tsuna-nii, I'm sure she's fine. She was always a bit antisocial. Kind of like Hibari!' Futa added, smiling cheerfully.

'I hope that's it...' Tsuna quietly whispered.

_I really wanted to talk with her on our last night here together...I guess it can't be helped..._

* * *

><p><em><strong>~At Some Point~<strong>_

'Lal Mirch.'

'Kurogane.'

A formal greeting was exchanged and the we sat down across from each other, each just as serious as the other.

'Watching for enemies?' I asked, mildly curious.

'You never know when they may attack. Someone should always be on guard.' Lal stated.

'Of course...'

We both looked at the screen in a companionable silence.

We were both experienced fighters.

Maybe since we suffered the same pain, we can relate quite well.

At least I think so.

'What's your plan for the attack, Kurogane?' Lal asked after a moment of silence.

'I'll be going splitting up with the group once we get deep into the base.' I admitted.

Lal raised an eyebrow.

'Wouldn't survival be more likely if we all go together?' She asks.

'Yes.' I admitted.

'But you guys are familiar with each other. You know what I'm like. Definitely not the nice, cooperative comrade you need.'

Indeed that was true since I'm always, and I mean _always _going be on my own for one reason or another since I'm, like, a messed up freak of nature with no life?

Wait, scratch that.

I have a life.

But it's gonna end soon.

'Care to inform me of your plans?' Lal asked, her yellow orbs peering at me with curiosity.

Probably wondering why I'm so intent on getting killed and wasting my sorry excuse of a life.

'I'll be starting with you, but once trouble starts, I'll be going as far away as possible and acting as a decoy.'

'But once we destroy the surveillance system, won't that be unecessary?'

'...However, they can reboot the system, can't they? Millifiore is highly advanced in technology. There's a chance they have back up systems available.'

Call it instincts. Gut feeling. Whatever.

I'm the type who always assumes the worst and is overcautious.

But for a good reason.

Lal sort of did a gasp and realized that they had overlooked this in their plans.

_Of course! _She thought. _They could have back up systems! Once we destroy the original, they'll know somethings going on...and if they provide back up systems immediately afterwards...our location would be revealed and we would be pegged with full scale attacks with no where to escape! And if that happens...we're as good as dead._

'Your right.' She admitted after putting some thought to it.

I nodded and then said,

'That's why, the moment we destroy the surveillance system, I'll split from the group and head as far away as possible and keep a look out for our targets. In the process, I'll create a huge ruckus in the opposite direction far away and with surveillance down, they'll immediately send all their forces to me.'

'That's...a clever plan.'

I continued on since I was on a roll and I needed her to understand how this will affect our chances of success greatly.

Even at my own sacrifice.

'I will take down as many enemies as possible and even when they find your location with a restored surveillance system, their forces will be far away and you will have much more time to hunt down Irie Shouichi and the white machine if I don't manage to.'

'I see...that would be highly beneficial for us.' Lal stated.

I nodded wordlessly.

'Does Tsuna know?' She asked.

'No. I never told him. I believe the story we should tell is that I'll be taking a separate route once we destroy the surveillance system and that's all.'

Lal nodded in understanding.

If Tsuna found out that I was actually intending to increase the risk of my own death to promote their survival rates, he'll probably snap and we all know that when the Vongola Decimo snaps, things happen.

Things that shall probably involve my sorry ass getting burnt to a crisp and dragged back in chains just to make me stay put.

And that's definitely not what I'd call a happy experience. The kid can go bad-ass mafioso mode for the sake of his friends.

'So what do you think, Reborn?' I called.

I knew the guy was listening in on our conversation from the beginning.

You can't be that surprised.

I lived with the Varia for a week.

You can't go ten minutes without some assassin trying to kill you from the closet (I can see how the monster in the closet stories started. I'd be scared. Very, very scared), a flaming knife aimed at your head from no where, the roof falling down with a torrent of flames, dirty vocabulary worthy of washing reserved for toilets, and all sorts of weird crap you're better off not knowing.

Super human senses were a necessity for sanity and survival.

The little demon baby walked through the door with his eyes shadowed.

'Are you sure about this?' He asked.

I nodded gravely.

'You do know that if you do this, you might die, right?'

'It's the most efficient way to use my abilities. At this point, risk of death isn't an issue.'

It's true.

If I do this and attract a ton of attention while Tsuna and the others are undercover, it'll make their mission go _so_ much smoother no matter the circumstances.

'...I see. Mei...don't die on us. That's the one thing I ask of you.'

My eyes widened in surprise and my eyebrows shot up.

Lal was giving me a sympathetic look and Reborn actually sounded like he was sincere.

I stared.

And then, for the first time in ages, I cracked a grin.

'Don't worry. I promise I'll make it.'

What was I thinking, doubting my friends and comrades?

We are a team. A team that will someday come together and laugh together.

I'll make it happen.

We'll come out of this mess somehow, even if I have to pay with my life.

As long as Tsuna's safe. As long as the family is alive.

And with that in mind, I left the room and turned my back.

* * *

><p>Tsuna lay on his bed, thinking about the events that were happening.<p>

His nerves were frayed and he was beyond worried as he thought back to an earlier meeting.

**_~Flashback of Meeting~_**

'What?'

'Huh?'

'Hm?'

Three exclamations rang throughout the room and stunned silence followed.

'What do you mean, Mei will split with us once we destroy the surveillance system?' Tsuna exclaimed, standing up and putting his hands on the table.

'You heard me, Mei has other plans.' Reborn stated calmly.

'But...that's kind of harsh isn't it.' Yamamoto said hesitantly.

'I mean, she's one of us. She's our comrade right?'

'Yeah! The vampire is a guardian! She should be going with the rest of us!' Gokudera yelled, defiant of this plan.

'Quiet!' Lal Mirch demanded.

'There are reasons for this.' Reborn explained.

'Mei is known for being immensely strong by herself and you guys might drag her down or the opposite might happen.' He stated

'What do you mean, Reborn?' Tsuna asked, calming down, but still a bit panicky on the inside.

'What he means,' Lal explained, 'Is that she's a one-man cell. You guys have never fought side by side in this era and perhaps you cannot. We don't have the time to train you guys together and she's a Segreto after all. They excel in doing the wildest things.'

'But she's been with us so long!' Tsuna protested.

'Dame-Tsuna, have you ever fought alongside her in this era? Do you even know her new fighting style?' Reborn asked, attacking the brunette mercilessly.

Tsuna faltered and was left wordless. _It true... _He thought_ I don't know..._

'We might not have fought side by side, but we trust each other!' Gokudera yelled, joining the fray.

'I agree. She's our comrade. We can't abandon her.' Yamamoto declared.

The usually cheerful baseball nut was wearing his dead serious, intimidating expression and his eyes were hard.

'Think of the consequences!' Lal said, voice firm and unwavering.

'Since Mei's not used to fighting with you guys in this era, she doesn't know how to cooperate and function with you all.' Reborn states.

'Or the opposite could be true.' Lal added.

'You guys have never even seen her true battle style and she's actually more experienced that you are! By splitting up, she can move much faster and accomplish more!'

'What was that?' Gokudera snarled, slamming the desk.

'She's right.' Reborn said.

'R-Reborn-san...' Gokudera said, stumped.

'But still!' Tsuna cried, persisting and still opposed to the idea.

'She went through ruthless training with the Varia. For all you know, if she enters battle with you, you might hinder her and only cause problems. She's the Moon Guardian. This is how it's supposed to be. If she operates by herself we'll have two units and our success rates are much higher.' Reborn declared.

Well...that's not it.

The thing is that she will frigging _die_ on this suicidal mission since she's, like, going in as a decoy on her own for the sake of the Vongola?

Yeah...but Tsuna really doesn't need to know that.

It would be bad for his heart. And, possibly, Mei's health. You _know_ Tsuna can be scary when it comes to his friends' lives.

'What's more, she spotted a loophole in our plans.' Lal said.

'Say what?' Gokudera yelled.

'Eh?'

'Seriously?'

'What would happen if they have a back up surveillance system?' Reborn asked.

'That's...'

'If they had one, then we would be on an unknown time limit. Every second would count and speed will be absolutely necessary. That's why having her split up with the rest of you is the best plan. She excels at these missions. It would double our chances of succeeding.'

And how does he know this stuff in the first place?

Oh right. Segreto reputation. That, and Mei's uncanny ability to creep up on people.

'Kid...' Yamamoto murmured, his eyes losing some of the ferocity it had earlier.

Gokudera had a pained expression and he looked at the floor silently.

Tsuna's face was shadowed by his hair and no emotion could be detected from him.

'This matter is closed.'

**_~End Flashback~_**

Sure Mei was always going off by herself but...why now?

He can't bear losing her.

He simply can't. She had become that important to him.

* * *

><p><strong><em>~Night Time~<em>**

I sat on my bed, lost in thought yet again.

I fingered the Mammon Cover on my ring.

Along with that, I had the transmitter that everyone received. I just kept it no my ear since after all, whats the harm?

As for clothes...screw PJ's, I'm going fireproof all the way.

Tsuna and the others knew that I would be taking a different route and the Guardians practically took over the role as my frigging _mom_ when they found out by hailing me with questions like, 'Are you sure? Are you really going to be fine? You don't have to do this! I guess it's for the good of the team...But still!' and more stuff like that.

I swear, they're more concerned about me than I am! (Which is quite a lot since I'm, like, one of those selfish people who don't like getting involved in things?)

But still...I can't help but fell a little happy on the inside.

I mean, who wouldn't, with all the love being flung around? (Literally. I got flung into a giant group hug meant to be 'a great show of affection for a sacrificing comrade.')

Yeah, they got the 'sacrificing' part down, but the affection? Lord help me, don't ever let that thought cross their minds again...

I was never happier that Hibari had personal space issues.

If he had joined that group hug, I would've fainted on the spot because that is a sure sign of the coming of the Apocalypse. (Yet...he _did _come later and say, 'Don't die.' and then walk out the door with me staring after him. I was moved. Oh, yes I was...)

I did feel kind of bad for Tsuna since his expression when he came to me was almost enough to make me change my mind.

That and his obvious concern for my well-being.

If I hadn't known better, I would've said that he was in love with me or something.

It makes me feel so guilty for doing this...but in the mafia world, survival is more important.

If you die, then it's all over. Which is obviously why I'm doing everything to make sure my friends and maybe me too, survive.

The invasion's at dawn and I should get some frigging rest, but how do you expect me to sleep like this?

I have the strangest feeling that something horrendous is going on, but I just don't know what.

There is no way in hell I can drop dead on my pillow like some lazy fly.

And so, deciding to ease my nerves, I leave my room for a scroll.

**_~With Tsuna~_**

Tsuna, Gokudera, and Yamamoto gathered together with Reborn in their part of the base due to some 'disturbance.'

'That seems to be the cause.' Reborn said, pointing down the hall.

'Huh?'

'The cat was drunk and seemed to wander to my place.' Hibari stated, holding Uri by the scruff.

And then chaos ensued. Sort of.

Gokudera got into a fight with the sweet and innocent little kitty that was clawing his sorry face off and Tsuna was seriously scared of getting 'bitten to death' right before the invasion.

'We're sorry!' They chorused to the peeved Cloud Guardian.

In the end, he let them off, probably since the attack is tomorrow and all, but he didn't do it without dissing their manliness and dignity first (minus Reborn since he's...Reborn).

_**~A While Later~**_

...So where am I?

Perfect.

I'm lost. And it's all dark which means I can't see very well.

But at least I'm heading towards the direction of the noise so I guess all's well.

I still can't shake the feeling of approaching danger and my instincts have never failed considering my history and all.

Which was why I was wandering around, fulled decked out in battle gear, and not getting a frigging wink of sleep.

Oh yeah, what a great way to enjoy what's possibly my last day of life.

As I headed forwards, I realized that I was nearing an exit of the base and then...

'You...'

I whipped around, adrenaline pumped in my veins due to the high tension I've been holding up.

'H-Hibari?' I stuttered.

Uh...what the heck are you doing out here? Was what I wanted to ask, but since I don't want the few precious minutes of life I have left to be torn apart, I kept my mouth shut.

...

Not.

'What are you doing here?' I asked.

Sorry, but my Hibari phobia has been considerably lessened due to all the like,_ complete crap_, I've been through?

Most involving death and blood and icky stuff? Yeah, you get the idea...

Ahem, but anyways, he was fully dressed in suit and tie and like me, he looked like he was about to head off to battle.

Just as he was about to respond I felt a vibration through the air an my eyes widened.

I turned to the direction of the exit and stared.

No way...don't tell me they're-

'They're here.'

I turned and looked at Hibari in shock.

'How do you...? Wait, don't tell me you're going to-'

And suddenly, he was right besides me, whispering in my ear.

'Omnivore...go back to sleep.' He said, lips merely centimeters from my ear.

I was speechless and frozen.

_He's...way too frigging close._ What the heck happened to_ personal space?_

And then, just as he was about to pass me by, I turned and said, accompanied by eyes shining with hope and determination,

'Don't die.'

The last words he would hear before he left this base.

I knew, somehow, that he was going to do something deadly and life-threatening for our sakes.

Hibari might be all cool and aloof, but he's still a precious comrade. Yeah. You heard me.

I'll even repeat it. _Precious comrade_ is what he is to me. Perhaps even more than that.

So I should at least grant him this much (I refuse point blank to give him a flying hug. I would freaking _die, _you hear me? _Die.)_

I thought he would then leave, but...he didn't.

At least not yet.

Surprisingly, he reached down and patted my head while I stared back at him.

It was...comforting. And warm. Something I never thought I'd feel at a time like this.

'Don't underestimate me, Omnivore.'

With that, he vanished like a gust of wind.

There one instant and gone the other.

I blinked a couple times and wondered if I had imagined the whole thing.

I mean, it's possible, I could be dreaming, right?

They do say you dream weird stuff before major events...Yeah...I should probably go to bed now...

And strangely, in my dreams, I thought I saw a smile on Hibari's face accompanied by those words.

* * *

><p>The alarm blared and we sprinted through the halls, fully aware of what's going on.<p>

Tsuna and the others were a bit confused, but then things were cleared up.

That led to Tsuna's immediate panic for Hibari and I quietly observed, never happier that he didn't know what I intended to do for their sakes.

(The guys only know that I'll be splitting up with them once we take down the surveillance system. They have no idea I intend to drawn a ton of attention as well.)

'Hibari by himself can handle it.' Ryohei said confidently.

'That's...'

Reborn prompted him but Tsuna was still unsure.

And so, Lal joined as well and then, seeing the urgency of the situation, I thought it best to speak up.

'Tsuna.' I said, my voice firm and unwavering, totally full of confidence that I never knew I had_._

_'_Hibari will be fine. You know him well enough.'

And then Reborn worked some more evil hitmen persuasion skills on him and he finally got the resolve to move forwards.

'Please open the gate, Giannini!'

'Let's go!'

And the operation officially started.

* * *

><p>In the beginning, everything with according to plan plus Bianchi coming to see us off.<p>

We entered through the underground parking lot and went to the ventilation duct.

Crawling through spider invested ducts...ick.

Back in the base, personal training was done on our own, but mission necessities were required to be practiced together.

Myself included.

Sliently, we slithered through the vent and took a left turn.

That's when things got complicated.

We were informed that there were lasers up ahead and operation 'crawl for your frigging life' began.

Lal threw something to temporarily block it and then, without a second to spare, we all charged forwards.

Breathless, I moved as fast as my body allowed and passed the area with the laser sensors.

We made it across.

'No way! THE LASERS ARE FIRING!' Lal yelled.

'Eh?'

Holy-

I was about to unleash a full barrage of flame swipes to get us out of the shaft, but it seemed that Yamamoto beat me to it.

Before I knew what happened, I was down on the ground with the others all around me, each recovering from momentary shock of the unexpected landing.

'What happened? I know we didn't touch the infrared lasers.' Lal pondered.

'That's cause I pressed the switch.' a voice announced.

I turned...and saw the most ridiculous man that could ever be in the mafia.

Freakishly tall, not very intelligent looking, and extremely exaggerated muscles, he looked like something out of a weight lift commercial or something.

At first we were all on guard, prepared for a brawl and then...

'In other words, you're ordinary kids who got lost.'

...you know what? This guy is ridiculously _dumb_ as well.

But all the better for us.

We were going to be relieved...that is, until he said he was going to test his weapons on us as live targets.

Aw, _fuck._

This is going to end badly...

Is what I thought before I witnessed firsthand how totally kick-ass Tsuna had become.

He pulverized the dude no problem and then tied him up like this was some sort of every day routine.

Wow.

Training must have really paid off.

And so we continued to the 8th basement.

Which was when things started to go bad.

* * *

><p><strong>And...Done!<strong>

**Please look for the reply to your reviews from the _Chapter 16_ here! (I know it was really long ago...)I'm pretty sure I got everyone (look hard! I'm sorry it's kinda cramped...but it's still there!) and I hope my responses satisfy you!**

_****_hiyomi _****_I think she would know of the plan if...like say...she was tailing Tsuna as a bodyguard (He's not officially 10th since 9th is still alive so her mission's still ongoing) and then used her skills (Okay, this is a bit skeptical...but this is 10YL so it might work!) and overheard the conversation. I might do a whole chapter on this thing because you have a very good point...the mysterious family is a character of KHR with some minor tweaks and reinforcement! I'm not gonna spoil...Thank you so much for your reviews!__

**_MadameRedx _**_For the enemy family...IT IS NOT AN OC FAMILY. I want to let that be known to everyone! It's an existing KHR character, but with some minor editing. He'll definitely show up in later chapters with the normal aged Vongola. ^_^ Oh and for your Enma love, I love him too! He's so adorable!_

_ Mei will start to grow more affectionate to Tsuna in a future chapter when Hibari is gone since right now is like the only time Hibari is around considering later, he's like never there and stuff? THAT'S when the Tsuna love starts...maybe I should make him save Mei's life in the base or something...Thank you for the reviews! *Cries tears of happiness*_

_**Life. Is. A. Ray. Of. Sunshine **Yeah...I figured since this was the Future Arc, I should do something like this...don't worry, Mei won't die!...probably. I'm glad you like the chapter! I put** lots** of effort into it TT_TT Thank you for your consistent reviews! *Hands out giant cookies* _

_**HibariTsunayoshi-Kun,** glad you like the fluff! I'll put in some more moments since this story is supposed to have some love in it afterall...Thank you for the reviews!_

_**DarkShadowInTheCorner **__thanks for the reviews on every single chapter! __And yes, because everyone is asking, I'll put in more love moments...despite the fact that I suck at writing romance...anyways, thank you very much!_

_**HiBiRdEpIc**- don't worry, I'm not offended! Long ago, I took a poll on who Mei is paired with and Hibari + Tsuna got a tie and stuff...should I do a re-poll since everyone is so keen on voicing their opinions? And one that doesn't end until a victor is declared? Thank you for the review!_

**_Nica-Neko G _**_Y-You really think so? Ohmygosh I'm so happy! I was so nervous that people'll think my romance chapters are totally lame and boring since I've never written it before! Thank you so much! That just made my day!:D_

**_ TsubasaFan1230 _**_Yes! People like the 10-year-later stuff! I was worried about it for a bit...About Mukuro abandoning Chrome, I think it was in the manga chapter 349! Go check it out if you haven't! Thank you sooooo much for the review!_

**_Azalie-Kauriu _**_Thank you for the review! I'll be sure to make some love happen between to two! :)_

**_InK4bLoOd _**_Awwww...I'm so glad you like it! It was my first time attempting romance! Thank you sooooo much for the reviews!_

**_skidney _**_Glad you loved it! Should I do more future scenes and stuff? Thank you for your reviews! It really brightened up my day ^_^_

**And that was all for Chapter 16! :) **

**Review for faster updates! :D**

**You never know, I just might be tempted to cram my school work just to update faster...Ciao!**


	18. And Disaster Occurs

**Because there have been so many 'I support Tsuna' and 'Put in more Hibari' reviews (Or something along the lines of that) we will have…a 2****nd**** poll!**

**POLL IS ON MY PROFILE PAGE. (Some ppl asked me where is was. Now you know :D.)**

**This one has multiple choices since while we're at it, I want you to vote on what Enma should do!**

**Yes. That's right. ENMAAAAA! **

**Simon Family fans! GET OUT THERE AND SUPPORT HIM! XD**

**I'm really just planning ahead for the Simon Arc, but some people have said that they want Enma to join the love triangle so yeah…**

**This poll won't end until a true victor is declared! And the loser…I guess they'll have to deal with one-sided love…I'll feel sorry for them…**

**Enjoy the latest chapter!**

* * *

><p>So.<p>

We went down the stairs.

And healed a couple wounds.

And then Lal and Ryohei refreshed the plan to make sure everyone is clear on what to do.

In other words, making it extra clear on how to blow up the security system and all.

Speaking of that…our time to part ways is coming soon.

_Very _soon.

Tch.

Moving on, Tsuna revealed the shocking fact that his earlier attack was only at…20%?

Holy- _What the hell did this kid do while my back was turned?_

It took quite a bit of effort to avoid dropping my jaw and gaping like an idiot similar to what the others were doing.

Why? Easy.

Tsuna with combustible hands? Sure, I can handle that. I just have to stay on his good side, be ready to bolt on a spit second notice, and make sure to stay a good five meters away when possible since technically I'm still, like, his _guard? _So I can't exactly flee to the other side of the globe and stuff?

Yeah... painfully long mission assigned to me at Segreto home base is still going on here! Even though we're ten years in the future and stuff…

But now, Tsuna with newly developed X-gloves and extreme deadly Mafioso-style kick ass fire techniques capable of complete slaughter and annihilation in mere seconds at _20% power_? Hell no.

Um, _hello? _Are you_ trying _to kill me? If so, there are easier methods out there!

Like, one's NOT involving the mafia boss of the current ruling underground organization that will probably take over the world?

But the point of this annoying speech you've probably come to hate is that I can_not _believe that this Tsuna is the same little kid that was the useless Dame-Tsuna at school.

Seriously.

Coming out of my inner rant, we watched as Lal went into her 'deadly stalker' mode and worked some of her awe-inspiring COMSUBIN skills on the camera.

She tweaked a few things here and there and just like that, we were at the door that supposedly held the security system on the next side.

This was where we part.

I was thinking about whether I should slip away quietly to avoid the gloomy farewell or stay and be nice for a change since leaving without a good bye _is _kind of harsh…emotionally speaking.

And then, of course, Tsuna has to pipe up about me spitting from the group at this point and make my decision for me.

Damn his Hyper Intuition for picking up on my inner turmoil…

'Eto…Since we're about to destroy the system …Will Mei be leaving us?' He asked nervously, looking at everyone else.

I figured this is a good time to disappear and started backing away step…by step…by step…

Oh, and I could also hear the conversation pretty darn well from where I was standing.

'Ah! That's right! The vampire girl will be leaving here!' Gokudera quietly exclaimed since we _are _in an enemy base and yelling on top of his lungs would sort of...give us away and get us killed? Yeah...

'That's right to the extreme! We should say farewells right now just in case something extreme happens!'

'Ahaha! I guess we better!'

Hmmmm...

For some unknown reason absolutely NOT related to the fact that when they _heard _of the plan they practically transformed into wailing mother hens crying over my well being, I was more than a little against this.

I mean, who _knows_ what they'll do at the real thing (aka right now)?

I've decided. I will try to leave without being prematurely scarred for life by the tactics of young, overly emotional men.

It is for the sake of my well-being. It's got nothing to do with my major issues with hugs. Really.

'You guys…' Lal sighed in exasperation.

Yes...that's right...delay them while I slip away...

Immense failure. Sort of.

'Hey, where Mei?'

'Yeah! Where is she? Wasn't she just there?'

They frantically looked around and then turned and saw me in my 'is slipping away quietly' stance aka me standing a good distance away from them and looking ready to bolt.

Well.

That certainly gave away my intentions. Fortunately, they seemed to either not notice or not comprehend.

I simply looked on and then quietly stated,

'Bye…'

That was definitely _not _a good decision seeing as Tsuna immediately got teary on me and Gokudera got 'the look' he gets when something upsets him or his precious Judaimei (in this case, I've committed both. Yikes.), Ryohei had an EXTREME look in his eyes and even Yamamoto looked concerned and…umm…depressed-ish.

Which is freaky for Yamamoto since he's, like, the cheerful baseball nut? Who NEVER looks _depressed _of all things?

'Uh…guys? Awah-!'

My gasp of 'What the heck are you doing?' faded from my lips as none other than Tsuna suddenly grasped both my hands in his while wearing this emotional look of deep and passionate_...__something..._that I can't explain, while Ryohei started doing hushed 'Extreme comrade to be remembered!' chanting while tears poured down like waterfalls in a comedic way.

Added to that, there was Yamamoto firmly patting my head with an awkward smile and Gokudera who, for once in his life, had a _caring_ expression as opposed to his usual scowl which is downright _disturbing. _In my opinion.

'COME BACK ALIVE TO THE EXTREME!' Says the hyperactive Sun Guardian. I'll _try_... probably.

'Mei! Don't die on me! Please!' Tsuna cried with his teary eyed expression and the beforehand mentioned _something_ that I have yet to identify.

'Ahaha! You'll make it back right? That's a promise.' Yamamoto said firmly.

Uh...one-sided promise much? And...your eyes are starting to scare me...very, very, much...

'Kurogane! If you don't make it out alive I will personally come drag you back from your grave!' Gokudera yelled, _right up in my face,_ which is NOT very pleasant.

Nice to know what I have to look forward to in the future.

And then even LAL had to join with a hard pat on the back (which nearly knocked me over) and a few words of encouragement.

'Thanks everyone...' I mumbled.

Wait. I _mumbled._ Holy craaaaaap. My composure is slipping! NOT. GOOD. Too much emotion is contagious!

That was how our final farewell went and I took in their faces one last time.

Tsuna had a worried, concerned, and a little bit scared expression of 'Noooo, Mei! Don't go!...but I guess you must do this' look.

Gokudera 's eyes were burning with a fire that screamed the fact that he would never forgive me if I died which...is great, but still a bit intimidating.

Yamamoto had his ever present smile with a bit of a 'this is it' look to it.

Ryohei with his EXTREME passionate expression of 'you can do it!' and last, but not least, Lal and her blank expression that nearly rivaled my own.

That, and a gleam in her eye that sent the unspoken words of a final farewell and a promise to inform me when to start wrecking havoc on the base.

A few details on the plan: You know how I said I'm going to cause a huge mess on the other side of base once the system's down?

Well, I sort of need a head start so while they blow up the system, I'm making my way to the other side of the base, and the moment the system is down, Lal gives me the cue to start screwing things up and there will be no delays at all.

Pretty ingenious, no? Even a few seconds are precious, as you've probably figured by now.

With a final glance, I turned my back and started sprinting into the deep unknown that is Melone Base.

* * *

><p>I bolted down the halls of the base and rapidly turned corner after corner while climbing deeper and deeper into enemy territory.<p>

This was it; I was on duty and putting as much distance as possible between me and the others.

Any moment, Millifiore can jump out and try to murder me on the spot.

Somehow, I was not very concerned with that fact. I mean...I came prepared for death so yeah...kinda hard to back out at this point.

About ten minutes passed and I was wondering why Lal hasn't given the signal yet.

And then...The alarms blared.

What on earth-?

What happened? Didn't they destroy the system?

'-_tccccchh-...-tchhhh-...'_

I jerked to a stop and fingered my ear phones.

Was it-?

'KUROGANE! The system is down! Go all out! They saw us!' Lal's voice instructed me.

I raised an eyebrow.

The _real_ party is about to get started.

With that in mind, I promptly started blowing up various objects (mostly walls) via flame weapons.

* * *

><p><em><strong>~With Irie Shoichi~<strong>_

'The system is down.' proclaimed one of the Cervellos.

'What the-...?' Irie muttered in shock.

He then proceeded to issue orders and attempted to get control of the situation.

Time for Spanner to take action.

But also...

'Irie-sama...there are numerous explosions coming from the 16th floor.'

'What? Don't tell me...Send all the remaining soldiers there!'

'Irie-sama? Are you sure?'

'Well you see, that place is...' _dangerously close to my lab. _

_...Wait. Isn't that also where THEY are?_

* * *

><p>Well.<p>

Blowing up enemy base is a wonderful mission indeed with the lives of many stacked upon it as well as rewards of endless glory and fame and blah, blah, blah.

...Uh, NOT.

It's pretty much run around, blow something up, keep running, _keep _blowing stuff up along the way, and start chaos while looking forward to a grisly death where nobody will ever find your corpse.

Real enjoyable.

Time ticked by while I blew things up and wondered why no one noticed. They should know by now, right?

Or maybe the alarm from earlier meant that they saw Tsuna and the others first, figured out their location, and decided to prioritize them above all else seeing as he's the Vongola Decimo.

That would be bad. REALLY bad.

Like seriously, I can't afford to have Tsuna die and make me fail my mission after everything I've gone through.

Why?

Well, for the sake of _his_ life (which is _my _very important inherited mission), I've been pounded to a bloody pulp via a certain head perfect's tonfas, literally torn apart courtesy of Mukuro, roped into every horrid idea Reborn came up with, _kidnapped _by the top assassin squad, and then dragged to the future world of Apocalypse-ness I probably won't survive.

All done despite the fact that he is the main reason as to why I lost my frigging family and became a sad, depressed orphan.

And Tsuna, to this day, still had no flippin' clue what sort of hell I went through for him (well, and for the sake of my family pride...).

So you can safely assume I'll be damn _pissed _if, after all the things I've been through, the boy who I did this for goes ahead and dies because of one suicidal invasion plan which I _personally _decided to modify for the sake of his survival.

...

And yes, I'm a little attached. A LITTLE. Nothing signifigant. Just typical bodyguard/client relationship with a bit of strong friendly bonds.

That is all. Period.

Coming back to the present world, what happened to the enemies? I'm seriously hoping my mental prediction is not true because that would mean things are going to get a lot more complicated from here on out.

Just when I was starting to feel uncomfortably anxious, I caught sight of Black Spell members running around looking for _something._

Hmmmm...What can that be? It seems my efforts are not in vain. I've got their attention after all.

Time to take action.

Surprise attacks do wonders for slaughtering enemy family members.

Quietly igniting my flames, I let them surround me in a shield that made myself virtually undetectable by all means.

Now.

You must be wondering, _Just w__hat the heck are your flame functions anyways? You never frigging told us!, _Right?

True, I never did explain...I'm pretty sure I just said something along the lines of 'I totally forgot and am probably deluded because I can't remember long lectures.' or something.

So now, it's about time for some good, solid, facts and details.

My flames have an immobilization factor.

Yes, it sounds lame. I thought so too. But trust me, it's got some good points.

It turns out immobilization is quite handy seeing as I can immobilize the surrounding air to make it completely still.

Totally immobilized. Frozen down to the microscopical level. Frigging time stopped.

How does this help? You can immobilize a thin barrier of air around you like a cloak and walk around without being detected by just about ANYTHING.

High-tech cameras are included. I know for sure I can get past them if I try hard enough.

The keywords are 'if' and 'try.'

You probably think that makes _no _sense whatsoever, but if you really must know, it sort of gets rock science-y from here on out.

Basically, the human eye detects only objects that have tiny, vibrating molecules/atoms and the atoms of EVERYTHING (yes, I mean _everything._ You see that rock? It's not moving right? WRONG. It's atoms/molecules are vibrating, but it still seems perfectly still to human eyes) vibrate at a rate undetectable by the naked eye or any human technology so far.

This vibration at immeasurable rates is what makes things visible (although some vibrate really slow...but they still _vibrate.) _and therefore, when something has NO vibration as in NONE whatsoever, the eye automatically skims past it and fails to register it completely and/or simply cannot detect it at all (yeah...totally fits me, seeing as my existence is already ignored when I'm NOT surrounded by my flames).

And so, making use of these facts, by completely immobilizing the molecules, (not _removing _the molecules since that would be, like, deleting your existence from the universe? Even the dead have atoms, so yeah...) one's presence can be completely concealed to the core and undetectable to everything (though I'm not quite at that level yet).

Get it?

...Probably not. If that paragraph ever pops up on the pages of a book, I, for one, will skip over it.

Long scientific speech short, everything's molecules vibrate at a rate we can't observe and when something doesn't, you can't see it since your eyes automatically fail to register whatever is there due to lack of vibrating molecules that are present in _everything _with no exceptions.

Immobilizing the molecules take out this factor (the molecules are still _there. _Just...immobile.) and so my flames can be put to good use.

**(A/N: I dunno if this is true. It's all scientific mumble jumbo I theorized but I don't think this theory was ever tested so...Don't sue me if it's false?)**

Which means I can walk around undetected by all enemies and knock 'em dead.

Useful? Heck yeah.

Well, I'm not completely and utterly undetectable (though I'm very much invisible) seeing as I'm still, like, running around and stuff?

Which creates_ movement?_ Which is _detectable? _

Yeah...apparently high-level flame users (and just about any skilled and experienced fighter) can still detect me through my flames which means I just drop the shield and go all out since if they can find me anyways, what's the point of wasting flames?

Also, I can't just shield myself 24/7. My current limit is around fifteen minutes at best before I go low on flame power (that's equivalent to bleeding 15 minutes straight! I refuse to die on the battlefield for such a lame reason!).

While being invisible in battle sounds awesome, I'm not the Mist element and my flame's specialty is immobilization, not concealment (though it's a big plus on my side).

Concealment is just a handy side-function that can be induced through lots of pain and effort that comes with training.

Moving on, the Black Spell members had no idea who hit 'em and were out cold in less than a second.

Oh, the marvels of being invisible...

I dumped them in a corner and headed forward only to find all the pathways sealed off by metal walls that dropped down from the roof slightly after the alarms rang and stopped. A bit delayed if you ask me.

But more importantly, this left me with one route left.

So of course, I headed that way only to run into lots and lots of weak foot soldiers who weren't particularly strong at all.

And so I went straight.

Straight ahead to a door that was at the end of a dead end and I could detect flames and living, breathing humans on the other side.

Should I make a U-turn?

Well.

Seeing as I'm supposed to getting as far away from everyone else as possible (and because the way back is littered with unconscious Millifiore members), turning around and back tracking kind of defeats the purpose.

Besides, I'm pretty confident that I can take on anything they throw at me. I mean, I've managed without a scratch so far so I can't be THAT weak, right?

So...I opened the door...to find a wonderful display of the entire freakin' Black Spell armed to the teeth staring at me in shock and disbelief since I sort of just _barged through their front door_?

Which obviously led to them dropping everything in their hands and coming at me with various war cries and murder in their eyes.

Isn't that just gorgeous?

* * *

><p><em><strong>~With Tsuna~<strong>_

Things were going wonderfully on their end seeing as Lal was being murdered on the inside by radiation and post-battle pain and the decoy position was having some serious issues.

Should they just skip the position as decoy seeing as Mei already went off as a distraction?

Nope.

Not possible.

Tsuna and his gang were told that she was simply taking another route to speed things up as opposed to playing the role as 'I'm the shining star of chaos! Everybody come and get me!' so in their minds, a decoy was necessary for this part.

Lal also supported this idea since two decoys would split the attention a bit and Mei wouldn't be _totally _doomed to die...probably.

But seeing as she was hurt and the others thought this was a vital part of the plan for surviving, _someone _had to take the position.

And who volunteers for the job?

Sawada Tsunayoshi.

'Umm...I'll do it.' He says.

'Judaimei!'

'Tsuna!'

'I'll be the decoy.' Tsuna repeated.

Following his words were the reasons as to why he should do this.

Gokudera got into his 'Judaimei complex' mode and went into an emotion overdrive.

With a few parting words, Tsuna raced off to the unknown.

Hm.

Now why couldn't have Mei's departure gone that smoothly?

I guess the divine being who rules the universe has a grudge against her.

That, or it simply enjoys screwing up her life for the hell of it.

You never know.

* * *

><p><em><strong>~Haru Haru Interview!~<strong>_

'Ha-Haru, Haru Da-Da-Dangerous Interview Co-Corner!' Haru stuttered, trembling in her boots.

'Why is your body shaking?' Reborn asked from the couch.

'Because Tsuna-san said today's guest is very dangerous!' Haru exclaimed.

'Is that what you were talking about before the interview?'

Cue Namimori theme song and arrival of Hibari.

Of course, Haru extremely fails to interview him so Reborn takes over. Which is bad. _Very _bad.

After a few questions on weather, they move to a more 'interesting' topic.

'Say, Hibari, out of all the family members, who would you like to fight?'

'Infant, are you implying that you'll fight me now?'

'Other than me. Or Mukuro.'

Silence. And then,

'Kurogane Mei.'

'Hahi? Kurogane-chan?' Haru exclaimed, gripping the microphone. One glare from Hibari sent her cowering in the corner...again.

'Hmmm...' Reborn mused. 'Interesting...'

'...the herbivore seems to have changed since I last fought her. Therefore I want a rematch.' Hibari stated.

'Yes, Mei certainly has improved after the Segreto training...' A sadistic grin spread across Reborn's features.

For some 'unknown reason' that could possibly, perhaps, and/or be related to a certain carnivore, Haru had suddenly vanished from the scene.

Coincidentally, she unintentionally avoided the bloodshed that followed.

'...Which is why I brought her here today!' Reborn cheerfully announced.

Now THAT got Hibari's attention. Out the blue, Mei walked on stage with no knowledge of the impending doom that awaited her.

'Reborn? What did you call me here for?' She asked.

Reborn smiled innocently and said,

'Enjoy.'

Mei blinked at him in surprise as he suddenly went down a hole in the ground along with his fancy Italian couch.

She found out the reason two seconds later.

'Herbivore...I'll bite you to death.' The smirk on Hibari's face was enough to send devils from hell running away screaming.

He went at her, full malice gleaming in his eyes and scaring the living crap out of the poor Moon Guardian who would probably spend a nice long vacation in the hospital with many damaged organs and bones...in theory.

But we all know Segreto's are awfully skilled at defying theory so things weren't THAT bad with Mei and her Varia-induced fighting skills...But then again, when one fights back against Hibari...things'll get bloody.

FAST.

'Herbivore, you've improved.' Hibari remarked smoothly, _casually _almost, in a way that can be translated to 'This herbivore is going to be my toy for a while.' because Hibari just _loves _strong opponents.

This was, in Mei's opinion, the worst possible situation.

_**~After the Bloodshed~**_

'Ha-Hahi! What happened here!' Haru exclaimed as she surveyed the carnage while returning on stage.

Was that _blood?_

'Hibari and Mei are having some..._famliy bonding _time. Ciao Ciao! See you next time!' Reborn says, completly ignoring the bangs and crashes coming from the back of the stage.

If you were telepathic, you would be able to make out the words, 'My life is over. I'm gonna die. I'm gonna friggin-'

Telepathy was abruptly cut off.

A loud crash was heard. Then momentary silence.

Haru shakily concluded the interview.

'Haru, Haru Dangerous Interview, if I'm still alive, showing next week! See you again!' She calls, backing away from the stage.

Reborn briefly wondered if he went overboard. Another loud crash was heard.

Then he thought, 'Nah...she's alive. I can hear her inner screams through my psychic telepathy skills. Quite enjoyable, really.'

For those who care, Mei lived.

Barely.

And because she put up a good fight, she was chased around Namimori for the following week by a certain demon out for blood.

* * *

><p><strong>Mei's going to have her own interview later so <span>please review to tell me any questions or requests you have for Mei<span>! ****And yes, Monster Tamer Tsuna will be included in the omakes!**

****_~Review Responds~_****

****Jacky-lulu**** _-Thanks so much for the review! I'm so happy that you like my fanfic! Things are coming along on my side and I'll do my best to update! _

****Life. Is. A. Ray. Of. Sunshine**** -_Yep, Mei is emotionally dense since she sort of had zero human interaction since age six and stuff...Tsuna and the others will find out. Soon. VERY soon. And, yay! You support Tsuna-love! Go fight for him in the poll! Hibari's rapidly taking over! Thank you for the reviews from the very beginning to now! Know that you're very much loved :) _

**_**InK4bLoOd** _-__**__ Yay! I'm glad you love it! Thank you to the extreme for reviewing!__

**TsubasaFan1230** _-Glad I made your day :) Mei became quite a bit stronger (as with every other character in KHR) but not to the point of Mary-Sue-y strong. Tsuna is still alot more powerful and I'd say she's about on par with the other Guardians. I'm sooooo happy that you don't have a problem with my love scenes (I'm still a beginner...*sulks in corner due to failure* so I'm not that good yet). And yes, Mei finally decides that she cares...but that doesn't mean she'll admit it out loud in public. Much thanks for your reviews! You're always appreciated!_

**HiBiRdEpIc _-_**_Thanks for stopping by and reviewing! I can't wait for the present Hibari to come :) Things'll get fluffy...very much so..._

**Blueberryxn **_- Yep, Tsuna likes Mei...and she cares for him. Alot. Thank you so, so much for reviewing!_

**Nica-Neko G **_- Tsuna's gangs reaction...shall be extreme! And yes! Tsuna-fan! Go fight for him in the poll before Hibari takes over! I'm glad you like Mei! My effort is paying off! I slave over her personality due to my immense Mary-Sue hatred and stuff...Thank you very much for the review!_

_**peppermint twertle** _- Ehehe...well...I'll try, I guess. I'll get the love in there somehow!...But, first their relationship will grow a bit so pleeeease be a bit patient, 'kay? I need more practice! (or else I will epically fail!) Thank you so very much for your reviews! And for the Monster Tamer Tsuna suggestion! ;) I agree with you on their appearance. i should do that. Oh yes, I should...__

**skidney **_-Thank you! Your reviews mean lots to me!_

**DarkShadowInTheCorner** _- Thank you! Glad you like it!:)_

**And that concludes the review replies!**

**Again, Hibari/Tsuna/Enma fans, it's time to fight for your favorite character! **

**The poll is on my profile and Mei's love life is in your hands! **

**Ciao, ciao!**


	19. With Giant Bears and Flying Panthers

**Poll Result so far:**

**#1: Hibari FTW! (Somehow...I saw this coming)**

**#2: Giant Love Triangle! (Whoa! And it's super close, too!)**

**#3: Tsuna all the way! (I'm surprised this wasn't #2...)**

**Other options are like...waaaay down there...**

**POLL IS STILL ONGOING due to the fact that there's only 1 vote differences between the top three!**

* * *

><p>My initial reaction: Holy crap, <em>I'm gonna DIE.<em>

Then after a reasonable one and a half millisecond of mental shock, I recovered and promptly started whipping out my weapons and pet panthers (well…just ONE panther…Though an army of them would be very helpful).

Now.

Let's take a good, analyzing look at the situation.

On one side: A teenage girl armed with a pet kitty, various blades, and an overly pessimistic attitude who, by luck, was somewhat experienced in mafia situations (People. I've only been doing this for about a year or so. I'm still quite naïve…).

On the other side: A massive horde of grown men belonging to the mafia family from 10 years in the future that successfully took over the world and ripped apart what used to be the strongest mafia family all fully armed with possibly the newest weapons and gadgets and murderous intentions.

And, of course, _their _home base.

So basically, one 14-year-old girl vs. Massive Horde of Future Mafioso Men In Their Home Territory.

Yep, victory is assured.

Hey, divine Kami-sama, if you ever feel like compensating me for all the gorgeous events you put me through, now would be a marvelous time to start, you know.

…

Nope, Kami-sama is not listening to my distressed pleas at the moment.

On the bright side (if you tune out the vicious cries for blood and clashes of steel), I was (sort of) winning.

It seemed that while the ever so kind Kami-sama wasn't willing to openly help me via, clear, easy paths of freedom without bloodshed, it _was _willing to let me catch a break and run into a Black Spell joint that was unprepared as opposed to a squad fully geared for bloody war.

But that didn't stop them from charging at me half naked either.

My panther buddy made a brilliant distraction by creating plumes of flames that successfully immobilized numerous unprepared soldiers and…uh…the random slutty person passing by.

To whatever female douche bag who got involved: Girl, it's your fault for hooking up with the mafia and selling your body so suck it up and deal with it. I'm not paying your hospital fees or life insurance.

While I plowed through their ranks in hopes of reaching the door on the opposite side of the room, I was blessed with the gorgeous thought of 'Wow, I guess I hit the jackpot.' since this scenario pretty much meant that all THIS was successfully kept away from Tsuna's gang.

And then inflected on me.

Oh, the _joy._

While in the middle of trashing bodies and flaming missiles that were freakishly similar to those that I shot at myself for training, there was information unintentionally revealed to me via rabid shrieks of frustration, horror, and/or pure, righteous, hatred along the lines of:

"Where the hell is Gamma when you need him?"

And,

"Damn it all! Intruders just when the captains left!"

All of which accommodatingly told me that I'll probably leave this place battered, bruised, and bloody (though most of the blood wouldn't be my own), but nonetheless, very much alive because Gamma and the captains happen to be absent.

Brilliant (And I'm not being _that_ sarcastic this time.).

And to think I had the time to ponder on these things while taking down a livid horde of trained Mafioso.

Wow.

Varia must have rubbed off on me.

Once I immobilized and knocked out the general population of humans in this bar-like room, I took a flying leap made my ever so _elegant _exit accompanied by the flamboyant curses of any decent Mafioso I didn't bother knocking out.

Various thoughts ran through my head as I broke into a jog down the newly found hallway including a brilliant deduction of:

If Gamma (shudder) wasn't there and they mentioned that their captains were gone, then it meant that while I've done a significant amount of damage, the big boys were still out there and prepared to rip our guts out.

Which meant that the biggest threats were yet to be eliminated. Along with the White Spell.

I briefly contemplated on the chances of accidentally coming across White Spell party city.

…_Nah. _

Running into the Black Spell party (I seriously think they were having a party right before I came) while their captains were out was a pure stroke of luck and even though it was highly generous to our invasion, it was still something of a miracle that I came out without much damage (like…I got a scratch or two. And some dirt on my clothes. And blood. Not my own).

But all in all, I created what was probably the most eye-catching distraction of all time seeing as there was no way in hell they didn't notice THAT and now I would be considered a serious threat and they would focus their attention on me.

Which is _exactly _what I want.

Deep down, I still harbored a secret hope about surviving that was starting to manifest due to my victory over a large chunk of Black Spell.

Could I do this? Would I die? What's going to happen?

Yeah. Pointless questions, but _whatever._

I caused a couple more explosions, turned left, and attempted to contact the others since, um, that's the sole reason for radio equipment?

And because I want to make sure my efforts aren't in vain?

So I turned on the radio and patiently endeavored to connect with the group.

…

I tried. I really did.

But all that came was the annoying *-_tttccccchhhhh-ttcccchhh-* _sound that seemed to be mocking me with a troll face and snickering, 'Sucks to be you, no service at the moment.'

I was awfully tempted to crush the machine right then and there.

Then again, I was really deep in the base so maybe it was truly having difficulties?

Bleh.

I decided to instead take a look at the map and headed to the nearest target.

The white machine.

* * *

><p><em><strong>~With Reborn in Vongola Base~<strong>_

Reborn shared with them the fact that Tsuna has swapped with Lal Mirch for the decoy position and earned various shocked reactions from the remaining family members.

"But that means Millifiore has found them out!" Futa exclaimed.

"Irie Shoichi isn't stupid. I knew they would find us sooner or later." Reborn said. _As Mei knew this fact as well. That is why…_

"And that's where Mei comes in." He explained.

Bianchi and Futa exchanged worried glances.

"Has Mei contacted us?" She anxiously asked.

Giannini shook his head.

"What about Tsuna?" Futa added.

Another shake of the head.

"Nothing. The radio signals are still weak."

"What about their location?" Reborn asked.

Giannini promptly started typing on the keyboard while everyone else watched with a mixture of hope, fear, and apprehension.

Then he gasped.

"It's as you say, Reborn-san! Judaimei is in the 10th basement at a different location to the other four." He said after a fleeting pause.

"What about Mei?

"Kurogane-san is…near the white machine! I think she was in battle and…She's also near one of the Black Spell sanctuaries!"

"Is she engaging in battle?" Reborn asked.

Giannini shook his head.

"I don't know. I can't connect to her at all!"

'K-Kurogane-chan…"

A transitory silence passed and then,

"What about Tsuna?" Futa asked.

"I can make out mechanical sounds so…perhaps his opponents are the Strau Mosca!"

_Deathly _silence followed after that.

What did you expect?

Both were precious. Irreplaceable. And yet, they are in the most ominous situations one could imagine.

From their point of view, anyway.

* * *

><p><em><strong>~With Irie Shoichi and the Freaky Cervello People~<strong>_

"Irie-sama…A report has been made. The entire Black Spell with the exception of a few captains were completely wiped out." The pink haired lady reported.

"What?" Irie exclaimed. _No way…the ENTIRE Black Spell? Who could've…_

"Hook up any survivors to the screen." He instructed.

"Yes, sir."

They turned to the screen and were greeted by the sight of the Black Spell headquarters completely trashed with various scratch marks all over the place and a silvery sheen in the air.

A rather bruised looking man in the Black Spell uniform quickly made the report.

"Irie-sama! We suddenly attacked by this black blur and a feline box weapon with unknown flames!" he exclaimed.

"Unknown flames?" Irie repeated. _Don't tell me…_

"Yes!" another man hyped, entering the screen.

"I'm pretty sure it was a girl and a black panther or sumthing! The silver white-ish flames seemed to do heavy damage with contact!"

Irie grimaced.

"What are the casualties?" He demanded.

"Well…no one seems _dead _but we've got serious injuries and the ones taken out seem to be in this odd…condition…"

"Condition?" Irie echoed.

"They seem to be in coma with their muscles immobilized!"

Irie's eyebrows shot up.

"Leave them be and call for the medics. Their condition should clear up in a few months depending on their strength and tell them not to be shocked if their wounds don't heal for a long period of time."

"Yessir!" The two conscious men exclaimed from the screen.

Then he turned to the Cervello.

"We need to send forces to stop her. She's near the lab so that may be her target."

"Hai." said the Cervello.

And let the plotting begin.

* * *

><p><em><strong>~With Tsuna~<strong>_

Sawada Tsunayoshi hung in the air after knocking one of the Strau Mosca into the water.

Spanner typed away at the controls and a fierce battle was sure to ensue.

Two more Mosca sped by and while Tsuna had successfully avoided being rammed into a wall via robotic head-butt, the robots proceeded to fire missiles at him while they U-turned for another strike.

Tsuna immediately dodged, but the missiles contained tear gas and thus, he propelled himself out of the deadly cloud with his flames.

The battle continued and Tsuna seemed to be losing rapidly.

That is, until he went all 'Zero Point Breakthrough, First Edition!' on the water.

Yeah. That totally turned the tide.

With the Mosca frozen, Tsuna had some time to take a breath and recover from the attacks directed at him earlier.

While he was on break, Spanner made the Mosca shoot laser to break the ice which was, much to his surprise, exactly what Tsuna wanted.

"Zero Point Breakthrough, Revised."

And the battle went on as King Mosca later appeared.

Ultimately, Tsuna won, but Spanner was still alive and approached him for the finishing blow…

* * *

><p><em><strong>~With Irie Shoichi and His Millifiore Douche Bags~<strong>_

A Cervello rattled off a list of available family members and orders were issued.

"…I don't approve of the deployment in the research lab. Especially Baishana and his box weapon..." Irie said.

The Cervello came up with pretty good reasons why, but nooooo Irie just _couldn't _accept such _impatient _and _unreasonable _people to be near his lab and Genkishi was to go there instead to ward off a certain little girl.

And others. Possibly.

Then he was cheerfully informed that 'Nigella-san' has already headed off to the lab on his own accord.

How gorgeous.

_**~With Mei~**_

I was still in a casual jogging pace as I headed off to the direction of the research lab (At least I think so. You never know).

In front of me was, according to our ever so accurate map, a shortcut to the lab via long, blank, room of nothingness that really doesn't have a good reason as to why the heck it's in the base at all (I mean really…who keeps blank, empty rooms of pure _uselessness _just be-fuckin'-cause?).

And so…I entered…and came face to face (well, insanely large room distance apart, but still _face to face)_ with this guy who had a creepy nose ring and whisker-like scars on his cheeks.

We both took about half a second to comprehend and then jumped into fighting stands when our brain signaled 'enemy alert!' and grasped the information that the adversary was right in front of us.

Surprisingly, this guy was talkative despite his looks.

"I am Nigella of the Black Spell. I'll be the one to defeat you, intruder."

'Well, _gee _isn't that marvelous?' I shot back in my mind.

Instead of giving a helpful introduction (Why do they even do that? It's like purposely making sure that someone well hunt you down with malicious intent and the deep desire of revenge!...If you win. And if whoever died has relatives and/or close friends.), I ignited my ring and summoned out my friendly panther, Yuu, who entered the field ever so _enthusiastically _with half-lidded eyes and a haughty expression of 'Did you have to call me out?'

Hm. Remind you of anyone?

But calling Yuu out was a good decision seeing as Nigella called his own box weapon out to attack which happened to be a ten ton bear with a murderous gleam in its eyes screaming malevolence and pain to whatever poor thing happened to be in its way.

Aforementioned 'poor thing' swiftly avoided the attack with a back-flip and instructed her panther to go for it.

Yuu, now fully alert and surrounded by silver flames, went at the bear (which was like 100x bigger) and attacked with a mighty combination of teeth and claws.

Damage was sure to ensue.

Responding to the challenge, the bear went at it as well, unleashing its full purple-cloudy fury and making a valiant attempt to take down Yuu.

Nigella, the one of dramatic introductions, attacked me with his giant ax that he popped out of his box and a hardcore one-on-one between both master and box weapon began.

With my mid-length blade of pure silver and some black around the hilt, I deflected a swing at my ribs and return fire with a wave of silvery white slashes.

While Nigella busied himself deflecting the slashes, I did a spinning dropkick enhanced with my flames and came damn close to knocking him out cold with a solid blow to the head.

With a swear and rapid retreat, he went back a few meters and gave me plenty of personal space as my previous attack taught him close combat isn't the best of choices.

Which is precisely the worst delusion possible for any opponent of mine.

That earlier combo of close combat and mid-range attacks created the illusion that coming within direct reach of my sword was suicidal.

But the opposite was true.

While I _am _rather skilled at close combat, my body structure and *shudder* lack of physical strength (you have no idea what flames can do. I'd be dead without them.) make me vulnerable to super-duper close range fighting and thus, creating this delusion was necessary.

I rely on my flames _way _too much for physical power and if it comes down to a battle of only fists while low on flames…I'll be damn screwed. Period.

With a sword? I'll live.

With some kinda blade? I can deal with that.

No weapons whatsoever while low on flames? Yikes.

Though I can still easily handle most soldiers, a captain class with a good amount of flames armed with a box weapon would most likely be able defeat me in seconds.

So.

The point is, I lead my opponent around in a confusing circle and make them think my greatest weakness is my utmost strength and give myself a better chance of survival.

With that in mind, my greatest strength would be my speed and I intend to take full advantage of that.

While Nigella carefully observed me in search of my weakness (which was blaringly obvious. I mean, take a good look. Little girl. Scrawny. Always armed. Never attacked without flames. Evident clues, much?), I propelled myself off the ground so fast I was a blur and struck at him.

It seemed like a direct attack, but on the contrary, it was more like a hit-and-run technique that added more to my I-am-very-good-at-close-combat delusion.

When charging, I aim for something protruding out like an arm or leg or the side or…yeah, you get the idea…but when I aim for those parts as opposed to the heart and vital organs, my momentum pulls me into a deadly attack while also granting an instant escape afterwards without much contact or conflict since I just blast right on past with nothing in the way (which wouldn't work if I aimed for his heart or something).

Over and over I struck, like a hawk and its prey, in an inconsistent diagonal-y way that made a sphere (sort of. It'd be a very sharp and pointy sphere) of attacks to keep my opponent in place.

Nigella growled in frustration as I got his arm and rib (and various scratches all over the place) while I was mostly unscathed and still attacking repeatedly.

You see, even if the attacks are relatively simple and rather weak, my flame's factor and the force behind the attacks will pile up to do _some_ damage eventually.

Speaking of which, Nigella's swings with his axe got more sluggish as my flames seeped into his wounds.

Yes. Immobilization.

If my flames get into deep wounds, the molecules of that part of the body will start to be 'immobile' and gradually stop functioning.

Temporarily. Unless I wish differently.

But Nigella was the Cloud type and_ his_ flames spread_ my_ flames around (which makes them thinner) and lessened the effects slightly so we were at a standoff with me under the threat of running low on stamina and him being threatened by complete immobilization due to Moon flames.

"You're strong." He grunted, grasping his ax for another strike as his other arm bleed from wounds.

We exchanged blows and I returned a comment.

"Same to you."

Hey. He's a worthy opponent who hasn't played dirty (yet) so some respect should be warranted, no?

We kept at it in a repeating cycle until a harsh roar was heard.

The two of us paused simultaneously in mid-strike and turned to the source of the noise.

"Wh-wha-?" Nigella gasped.

I nearly smirked in triumph.

Oh yes. The turning point of the battle is here.

* * *

><p><em><strong>~With Gokudera and the Others~<strong>_

Ryohei, Gokudera, and Yamamoto (with an unconscious Lal Mirch) had the terrible misfortune of running into an old guy in a turban with a giant snake.

Obviously, Voldemort has returned to haunt the mafia world. In the form of Baishana.

After a brief exchange of words and some 'WTF?'-ing over Voldemort #2's box weapon, Ryohei decided to take Baishana on…with a kangaroo.

As the battle started, Kangaryuu was caught in deadly storm flames and theoretically, unable to move.

However, it still gave Ryohei his weapon of gloves and an epic battle was going to occur.

Ryohei defeated both the giant snake and its master in the end and the threesome -no, _foursome _continued on their way.

_**~With Tsuna~**_

Tsuna drowsily woke up and looked at his surroundings.

First reaction: Ahhh! Mosca!

Typical.

And then he saw that he was in his boxers with a supposed enemy and no weapons within reach.

But somehow, in some way, he avoided his usual 'HIIIIIEEEE!' of despair and accepted green tea offered by Spanner.

Tsuna was hesitant…and then he noticed his gloves, pills, and charm and reached out for them but…He was stopped when a miniature Mosca pointed it's holed fingers at him.

A potentially life-threatening phenomenon.

Spanner explained some things after Tsuna got dressed and Spanner's true motive was revealed.

It seemed mechanical geniuses can be life saviors after all.

After a talk about the Strau Mosca, Spanner informed Tsuna that he wanted to see a perfected X-Burner.

Wow.

Help in the least expected place from someone who tried to kill him ten minutes ago.

Tsuna, your charisma has risen to new levels.

* * *

><p><em><strong>~Back to Mei~<strong>_

"What on earth-?" Nigella gasped.

The sight was one to be remembered.

His bear lay sprawled on the ground, looking dead to the world with Yuu crouched on top of it.

The bear growled repeatedly, but couldn't seem to move at all.

Nigella simply stared at the sight, dumbfounded that a little panther managed to take down something so much larger and seemly stronger that itself.

Well. Like master like box weapon, as they say.

Yuu operates similarly to myself and works flames into its opponents' wounds and finally, when the flames take over, the opponent would be completely immobile and open to all attacks.

Just like how I do things.

"How…?" Nigella said in shock.

I turned to him calmly and started a short narration since he _does _deserve to know how his box weapon fell.

And because, unknown to him, the battle was already over. A conversation would conclude things nicely.

"My box weapon's flames penetrated into you bear's nervous system. When that happens, the flames induce immobilization and the body will cease functioning due to the flames that entered through the wounds."

He gave a start of surprise at that statement and looked down to his own body that had a faint silver tinge to it.

"You…During battle…All those times…" He said, starting to lose his grip on his weapon.

Yep. Every little scratch was edged with Moon flames and they entered his bloodstream without him noticing.

Of course, the process is much faster with deeper wounds, but the little things still count.

I watched his defeat impassively.

Like the Moon that helps the family from the darkness, I took down my opponent from the last place he'd expect: through his own body's nervous system with meager wounds one would instantly forget about. (Sorta like how people forget about me whenever I stop talking)

As his body ceased most functions, he grinned at me to my surprise.

"As expected of the Vongola's famed Guardian…" He murmured.

His box weapon was dispersed by now and my flames have full control of his system.

He fell to the ground and couldn't move a muscle. Literally.

So I figured I'd step forward and listen to his final words before he goes into a long coma that my victims usually befall too (Like...my flames make EVERYTHING immobile so...your brain is gonna be temporarily shut down until the flames' effects cease. Which means coma. A loooooong coma.)

"Tell me…Why do you fight so hard for your Family? According to our information, Vongola did nothing to warrant such loyalty from someone like you." He said as his eyes close and his breathing deepened.

I paused for a moment and then responded.

"…Who knows? I guess my boss is someone who can motivate you for anything…" I said as I walked away to proceed on my path.

Nigella wore one last smile as he had a brief flashback induced by the girl's words.

Back when he was the Cloud Guardian of Yuni, he was willing to do anything to protect her.

She was his boss and part of the family he had come to love. That made him strong. Gave him resolve to fight. Motivation.

And now, with that boss taken into the clutches of Byakuran, perhaps his resolve wasn't quite as strong as it had once been.

Maybe_ that_ was why he lost so overwhelmingly.

Because he simply can't use his full strength to fight for the very same man who destroyed Yuni.

The last thing he heard before going into a seriously long coma was the fading footsteps of a certain girl who defeated him.

* * *

><p><em><strong>~The <strong>_**Official**_** Haru, Haru Interview With Mei~**_

**Haru:** Hai! It's what everyone has been waiting for! Haru's Haru, Haru Dangerous Interviews! Today's special guest is...Kurogane, Mei-chan!

**Reborn:** You should be careful with her. You never know when she'll mysteriously slip away or pop out of nowhere.

**Haru:** R-Really?

**Mei:** *randomly shows up* I enter and exit through the front door.

**Haru:** Hahi! Kurogan-chan! When did you get here?

**Mei:** …*silence*

**Reborn:** See what I mean?

**Mei:** *Cue slight scowl* Fine. I'll try to make some noise next time.

**Haru:** Kurogane-chan! Sorry about that! Can we ask you a few questions?

**Mei:** I guess…

**Haru: **Yosh! Okay then, isn't it hard to fight with such long hair? Wouldn't it get in the way?

**Mei: **Not really. I used to put it in a ponytail, but it usually falls apart in mid-battle so now I just leave it down. It's fine as long as it's not in your face.

_Mei's Inner Thoughts: If you want to talk about combat with long hair, shouldn't you be asking_ Squalo_? I mean, his hair goes all the way down to his _KNEES_ even though he's a _GUY. _With a __sword attached to his arm._ _Am I the only one who thinks something is wrong about that?_

**Haru: **Hahi! I see! Okay, then- _  
><em>

**Reborn:** -Why do you look like Hibari Kyoya?

**Mei:**…

**Haru:** *Sweatdrop* E-eto, Reborn-san, you really shouldn't comment on a girl's appearance…

**Reborn:** Mei doesn't mind, right?

**Mei: **…I guess it's coincidence.

_Mei's Inner Thoughts: We...only both have black hair...()_()...and we're kinda pale. Except he looks healthy whereas I look like death all over (Like..chalk white pale. Totally** horrible**.). Besides, my eyes are SILVER. His eyes are GRAY. I believe in a slight difference between the two...I am not in denial._

**Reborn: **Alright. Then why do you look like a vampire?

**Haru:** R-Reborn-chan!

**Mei: ***deadpan* Because I _am_ one.

_Mei's Inner Thoughts: What the hell is wrong with you? _

**Haru: **HAHI! Kurogane-chan! Is that true?

**Mei:**...*No comment*

_Mei's Inner Thoughts:...Do you not understand the meaning of SARCASM?_

**Reborn:** Oho! It seems we have discovered a new species among the Vongola Family! Gokudera will be pleased to hear this!

**Haru:** HAHI! Kurogane-chan, can you see at night? Do you suck blood? DO YOU KILL PEOPLE? *insert crazed eyes growing wider and wider with each question*

**Mei: ***mental facepalm*

_Mei's Inner Thoughts: Why, universe...WHY?_

**Haru: **Kurogane-chan? Well…if you don't want to talk about it, it's fine…

**Reborn: **Of course she doesn't. That would involve revealing sacred vampire secrets, no?

**Haru:** Hahi! Of course! Don't worry, you don't have to tell us!

**Mei: ***desperately tries to refrain from slamming her head against a wall*

**Reborn: **Since discussing sacred vampire secrets is out of the question, I brought over someone else to make things interesting!

**Mei: **Hm? *raises eyebrow*

**Haru: **Oh yes, I almost forgot! Alicia-san! Come out! *waves to someone offstage*

**Alicia: **Meeeeeeei-chaaaan! It's been so long! *runs over with open arms*

**Mei: **Er…Hi. *tries to inch away slowly*

**Alicia: **I missed you so much! And I brought all these pretty dresses for you to wear! *Pulls out this…this…horribly _frilly _and _lacy _GothLoila dress. With...er...a cat-ear headband thing? THE HORROR!*

**Mei: ***barely concealed mortified expression* What?

_Inner thoughts: Oh hell no. I'm not wearing that…that THING!_

**Alicia: ***air of absolute evil* And there's plenty more, Mei-chan~ *approaches Mei...step..by step...and then speeds up.*

**_*Mei promptly decides to bolt and run off stage while being pursued by Alicia*_**

**Mei: ** No! I refuse!

**Alicia:** C'mon! It's not like I have an entire stash of the_ cutest_ outfits of all time waiting to be worn by you! And of course, any pictures taken would _never _show up in a mafia magazine or something! Or online with your fanclub…

**Mei: **Did you say _fanclub? _*temporarily pauses to make 'You've got to be kidding me' face*

**Alicia: ***Caught up with Mei and slips headband on her* Ohmygosh, you look so cute with the kitty ears! Say cheese!

**_~Insert Camera Shots and Groan of Horror~_**

**Reborn: **Well, looks like Mei has a wonderful family of loving relatives.

**Haru: ***Sniff* what a beautiful relationship! I wish I had someone like that in my family!

**(Somewhere off view) Alicia: **Mei! Are you _pouting _in this photo? Holy crap! This can probably sell for a ton of money to a dedicated fan! *Runs off with camera*

**Mei:** …And since _when_ did I have _fans?_

**Reborn: **You have plenty. That includes Namimori's Vampire Fanclub and the Segreto Fanclub of the mafia. You've also got a couple stalkers from the Vongola Guardians Fanclub.

**Mei:** Say _what? _

_Inner thoughts: Uh...Reborn? WHAT THE HELL?_

**(After a while) Alicia: **Mei! Someone wants to buy the photo for a couple thousand bucks! We can earn millions if we do a photo album of you!

**Mei: **…kill me now.

_Inner thoughts: Even HIBARI is better than this. The last thing I need is a rabid Segreto Family Fanclub (And how come they don't pester my _other _family members?) or, even worse, a vampire fanclub…Wait, does that mean those random flashes of light when I slept meant stalkers taking pictures?...Oh shit._

**Reborn: **Hmmm…Interesting…

**Haru: **See you again, desu~ *waves cheerfully*

_**~A Few Days Later~**_

"Yes! The latest pictures auctioned off for $5000!" Alicia said excitedly.

"Wonderful! That makes $73456 for the past month!" Luke exclaimed, clicking away at the laptop.

Alicia chuckled evilly.

"Yep. Mei doesn't know I put hidden cameras all over her apartment (and Namimori) the last time I visited so...unlimited pictures!"

"Really?" Reborn mused."Maybe I should start as well…" _Yes indeed…Hm, I should do the same to all the Vongola Guardians...I'm sure they've got fangirls…_

The following week, Tsuna and Co. were puzzled by frequent flashes of light at the oddest times.

Mei heightened her security levels by a tenfold and did a through inspection of her entire apartment. Her privacy was still invaded.

Tsuna nearly had a heart attack when Reborn asked him to wear fashionable mafia clothes out of the blue. He soon developed a reasonable loathing of anything made of black leather.

Hibari ignored all.

Gokudera attempted to bomb the source of the light, but Reborn still got some pretty darn good shots of that.

Yamaoto held a baseball bat and smiled at the camera.

Lambo had no clue what was going on and just 'Bwuhahaha!'-ed obnoxiously. Then Reborn called out his 10YL form and put various threats and blackmail to good use.

Mukuro casted a horrifying, but epic, background for himself with an evil smirk. Some were scarred for life.

Chrome blushed and looked away. Cutely. With her dear trident.

In a group picture demanded by Reborn, many had near death experiences, trauma, and/or possible maiming.

A month later, the Vongola budget went up by a couple million while various people around the globe drooled over newly obtained life size posters of their favorite Mafioso.

Mei considered calling for a lawsuit.

* * *

><p><strong>Arg...finally finished...<strong>

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter! (and if so, please review for me?) Sorry it took so long...**

****If you're bored of waiting, you can always go check out my new KHR fanfic, Perfectly Hopeless!****

**_~To My Dear Reviewers of Last Chapter~_**

**kirichancute , skidney , Sharkdude5, InK4bLoOd , novellanite12, 13simplestrongsoul98_,_ DarkshadowInTheCorner, and everyone else, THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH FOR REVIEWING! **

**I LOVE YOU PEOPLE! (not...like that. I mean in the 'Ohmygosh _thank you so much_, I love you!' kinda way.)**

**Please accept my giant virtual cookie of gratitude! (Lol...)**

**_~In Response to Actual Questions and/or Sort-Of Questions~_**

**Nica-Neko G** _- Let's see...People with long hair in KHR...Squalo, Bianchi, Lal (?), and Yuni (sort of?). For some reason, long hair never seemed to be a problem in anime/manga so yeah...I'm pretty sure in Squalo's interview, they had a 'talk' about his hair and stuff :) I hope the interview was to your liking! Thanks for the reviews! ^_^_**  
><strong>

****TsubasaFan1230****_- Yep. She was in the room Gamma and co. were originally in, but you know how Gamma was sorta called away for a meeting or something? I thought I'd use that and refrain from Mei having certain death...Hope you don't mind! ^^; Gokudera and Gamma's battle is too epic to mess with! It was current Hibari in the omake and Reborn shall be forever sadistic! Thank you for reviewing! _

**peppermint twertle **_- Well...I really can't think of a good reason as to why Hibari and Mei look so much alike ()_() Never really thought about it, but I hope the interview response was good enough! (Making them relatives...just won't work. AT ALL. In my opinion...) Thank you so much for all your reviews!_

**HibariTsunayoshi-Kun**_- Lol. Don't worry. She won't die from bleeding flames since she only shields herself when she's sneaking up on people or spying on someone (which is like...usually not that long). Thanks for reviewing!_

**TheParadoxicalOtaku **_- Yes, I like Madoka Magica! Thank you for reviewing on both my stories! You're very appreciated!_

**See y'all in the next chapter!**


	20. And The Blankest Room Ever

***Stares at screen for a looooong time.* **

**...IT'S A TIE! AGAIN! O.o**

**Are you people really not doing it just to spite me? I'm pretty sure this happened last time...nah, that's impossible, this was a blind poll...**

**#1: Is a tie between _Giant Love Triangle_ and_ Hibari FTW_**

**#2: Tsuna all the way!**

**#3: Make it one-sided love from Enma! (I did not see this coming...)**

**Well, since I DID say that we need a real victor from this poll...IT'S STILL OPEN!**

**Until the tie is broken, this poll will continue! **

**Thank you, all the kind people who read the author's note! (and the rest of the story!)**

**Enjoy the new chappie! ^_^**

* * *

><p>Okay.<p>

So everything was going oh-so-smoothly and I was walking down this corridor going to the white machine and then…the floor starts moving and shaking and I'm suddenly lost in the middle of God-knows-fucking-where with a useless map and no clue what to do.

Joy. Hallelujah. Banzai.

This can't get any worse, can it?

So with no other options available, I just went with the flow and walked through that one passage that's always open and hoped that I won't run into disaster when I reach wherever I'm being guided.

No scratch that, that's impossible- I _always _run into disaster.

…

But it won't hurt to get a break…or two…

I proceeded on my way and wondered what the others were doing.

Were they even alive?

Let's see…Gokudera. He'll live.

He's hard-core mafia with full understanding of the situation and decent-ish skills.

Plus, if this was an anime (which it totally isn't), then he'd be that one character with cockroach durability on his side who just won't freaking die no matter what.

…Now that I think about that, he'd be one seriously _explosive_ cockroach.

With fire power. And an outrageous amount of Judaimei-induced resolve.

Yeah, he'll survive.

Alright, next up, Yamamoto.

Cheerful, air-headed at times, and hiding his deadly assassin skills from most people.

_Most_ people. But not all.

No, he can't hide his dark side from _me _of all people. I went through mad information gathering training therefore, I tend to notice stuff others don't.

Have you seen the way he plays baseball? That's like a preview of his serious side of assassin-ness!

Which would be…damn scary.

So yeah, Yamamoto's got pretty good chances with his secret ninja-assassin skills capable of surprising the unsuspecting opponent (At first, even _I _was a bit deluded by his harmless outer personality. That changed after 12 hours and a baseball game).

10YL Ryohei…dunno.

He's the adult. The temporary ring-leader. Boss. Whatever.

He should be able to handle things since he _is _the only Guardian from the future with all his knowledge and experience intact.

Lal Mirch.'

She's Arcobaleno. They survived mafia from the beginning of time or something.

She's probably the one most likely to survive this if all else fails.

And then…Tsuna.

Our dear, naïve, Tunafish who does not deserve daily torture via sadistic baby and his pawns.

Well, normally I'd say, 'No way, he'll die within the first five minutes.' But…Dude.

Combustible hands. Crazy-as-heck fire techniques. HDW mode with major rape-face going on.

Yeah, things are looking good…as long as he's in HDW mode. I think I'm starting to respect his alter ego (well…if HDW qualifies as one, that is).

Hibari Kyoya.

...The name should make things self-explanatory.

And that leaves…me.

Sad little me with my puny blade and failure complex who has yet to pass 5" tall (C'mon, can I please just GROW? One inch! One more inch and I'll be average height!).

What can I say? I came with somewhat suicidal intentions in the first place so nah…my chances of survival aren't that pretty.

Will I at least try? Probably. I _do _want to live through this if it's possible.

I mean, I didn't just let that Black Spell squad murder me, did I?

I'm a girl with a mission. A mission passed down by my dead parents.

Before I had that mission, I was very, very suicidal up until some…_stuff_ happened after the death of my parents and…uh…changed me.

Or something.

At risk of sounding like a sappy idiot, I will say that no, I will not talk about this subject because there's a high chance that if I do, I'll unleash the flood of emotions I sealed away so long ago after I was broken and abandoned.

The end. Nothing more, nothing less.

…And just how did this speech turn into a depressing flashback of my past life in the first place?

Huh.

* * *

><p><em><strong>~With Gokudera and Ryohei~<strong>_

The two were in for the shock of their life when they opened the door and saw…Gamma.

There was silence. The entire base was still. The clouds stopped moving. Crickets stopped chirping.

…

Alright, it wasn't _that _dramatic, but c'mon! To super rivals have just collided!

This calls for some sparks, no?

Ryohei went first. He fought. He passed out. And then a pissed Gokudera took the stage.

He's new skills were revealed, some melodramatic Gamma flashbacks occurred, and an epic battle was finished with a big bang.

For now.

_**~With Yamamoto~**_

While the sarcastic idiot that was the Moon Guardian wandered around the base like some clueless dunce, Yamamoto Takeshi took the stage against Genkishi.

An epic battle of swordsmen.

Wow. We should film this. Or hack the security camera and use that instead.

Some info was exchanged. Then…it started.

Crazy-as-heck sword moves were used.

Yamamoto did some Squalo flashbacking and saw through sneaky illusions.

But in the end…He lost.

Though there was a suspicious figure known as the Mist Guardian soon to make her entrance.

Chaos followed her magical pranks.

And then, while Genkishi was about to swing the blade down…10YL Hibari Kyoya arrives at the scene.

The fierce battle of demonic fighters ensued.

The results weren't pretty and soon…the unexpected arrival of present Hibari occurred.

_**~With Tsuna~**_

Iris and a certain Death 'Stalkers' squad barged in on Tsuna's training.

First, the Death 'Stalkers' laid a solid hit and knocked Tsuna through the wall.

Spanner panicked. Iris opened the wall.

Then…The Tsuna badass-osity began.

Spanner stared. Reborn smirked. Tsuna kicked ass. Iris got pwned.

…That sums it up pretty well.

Spanner got cracking on those contacts and the battle proceeded with a game of deathly tag between murderous mutants and the helpless mechanic.

And then…and then…the tragedy of mini-mosca.

That alone was a great reason to go slaughter Iris since she destroyed the thing mercilessly and tried to kill Spanner like…a lot of times.

Then the hated Ginger Bread joined in and things were hectic.

Until…Tsuna received his contacts. Which means X-Burner was now officially legal.

The battle ended pretty quickly after that.

* * *

><p><em><strong>~With Mei~<strong>_

I was mystified when I was led to some blank white room with absolutely…nothing whatsoever.

'WTF' much?

Being a complete idiot by not instantly turning around, leaving, and possibly saving myself from an onslaught of 'I hate life' ranting, instead, I took one step inside and was puzzled to the point of lowering my reaction rate and ensuring an impending disaster.

The door snapped shut behind my back like the jaws of some malicious evil beast and I turned around just in time to see it completely vanish.

Wonderful.

I'm ensnared in the weirdest trap ever with no way out while in the middle of enemy territory.

Said enemies were probably going "Mwuhahaha! She fell for it! Now, send our troops and vanquish her! Victory is assured!" in their commander room or something.

Seconds after the door slammed shut and blocked me in, I came to a totally obvious conclusion: This is a trap. They'll come kill me later.

Which was partially correct minus the 'They'll kill me later.' part since the trap was meant to capture me permanently for Irie's betrayal plan which I had no clue about at that point.

So of course, I immediately tried to break out which was NOT a good idea.

The first plan of action when you need to get out of somewhere fast is probably to blow a hole in the wall.

I tried that. It backfired. I'm so graceful, aren't I?

I gasped as spasms of pain ran through my body and my flames were instantly cancelled out.

They sort of wilted and scattered around into little bundles of flames that just floated around uselessly.

I looked down and saw new injuries on various locations.

That, and my old injuries were reopening from the battle with Black Spell and Nigella.

What…the heck?

I tried again.

No avail. I just gave myself even more gashes.

The attacks were definitely _hitting_, but clearly not doing damage since there wasn't even a single crack.

I wasn't about to go all out on the poor wall and annihilate it with one big attack because...well...it _just_ _might _have done some good…but it'll also kill me by rebounding with attacks just as strong.

And I know for a fact that I'd hate to be on the receiving end of my techniques.

So in other words...it was a simply brilliant situation that happily bestowed itself upon me with angels singing their angelic songs in the background.

Great.

Just what I need at the moment. Walls that try to rip me apart with my own attacks and a choir of angels laughing at my stupidity.

Wonderful, wonderful things...

* * *

><p>Alright.<p>

Since operation _Blow a Frigging Hole in the Wall _was failing, I go to plan #2 of breaking out of confinement.

Dig a tunnel. Classic.

But it still works occasionally since sometimes,even Mafia bosses overlook the very ground they are standing on…

If you're lucky.

With Irie Shoichi? Nope.

I got the same result as to when I tried blowing up the wall:Complete failure.

And while I'm at it, I also hurt myself _again _and wasted valuable flames that were now scattered about the room uselessly.

What do I do now?

I mean…I'm generally the info-gatherer.

The one who's sneaky and manipulative behind the shadows doing the evil laughs and secret victory dances while the I-love-action-and-I'm-a-hero people went out there and fought with the information I gave them.

Which translates into, _I did not prepare for this kind of thing._

So without any type of training for this situation, all that's left was past experience, deduction, and my own wits and cleverness (which is…not good).

And of course, the rings, flames, and boxes.

Maybe, just _maybe,_ somehow, I can combine them all and create the key out of this death trap.

...

Pft. I'll dream on.

* * *

><p><em><strong>~With The Present Hibari and Genkishi~<strong>_

The battle of present Hibari and Genkishi started…with a remark on Genkishi's eyebrows.

Then a charging attack courtesy of Hibari which was blocked by Genkishi when he put his sword's hilt to good use.

Hibari…was overwhelmed.

Added to that, Genkishi used his box weapon and surrounded Hibari with tons of invisible missiles.

Following this assault was the arrival of Gokudera using SISTEMA C.A.I to save Hibari.

And then…Kusukabe gave Hibari some advice to summon the cloud flames.

It worked. Then Chrome gave some warnings.

Followed by…

"In order to increase the ring flames you must…be irritated." Hibari said, WITH A STRAIGHT FACE!

Then came the purple hedgehog that promptly blew up the entire place after it accidentally pricked Hibari while drunk.

A hedgehog. Drunk. What madness is this?

And all that lunacy led to the separation of Genkishi and Vongola.

Which would be good. If it weren't for the fact that everyone was trapped and knocked out later.

Capture…was inevitable.

_**~With Irie~**_

"Irie-sama. The Vongola girl with silver flames has been captured in one of the specialized rooms." One of the Cervello stated.

"Should we unleash the sleeping gas?" the other one asked.

Irie seemed to ponder for a while.

Then,

"Go ahead. Then send our men to retrieve her alive."

Then, they had a good, long talk about the 'Vongola boy' on the move.

* * *

><p><em><strong>~With Mei~<strong>_

Doom and gloom.

That described my mood perfectly.

After brainstorming like some kind of lunatic science genius, my results were…nothing.

Just like the room I was in. Do you know how fabulously frustrating that is?

Of course, it didn't help that I knew cameras were watching every twitch I make, so throwing a screaming fit would do little other than give the enemy a good source of entertainment to cheer themselves up when they're down.

That made me feel all the better. Yay.

Damn Irie and his mastermind trap-making skills…It's like this was madefor me specifically, on purpose!

As for the escape methods I _did_ come up, they all had some serious flukes.

Plan 1. Break out with force: I can't. My attacks will rebound and hurt someone none other than _moi._

Plan 2. Look for an exit and use mad lock picking skills: THERE IS NO EXIT! Or door! Or window! Or anything else!

Plan 3. Scout the room for weak-points: Ha. Very funny. Did you fail to notice that this is a pure white room with the hardest walls known to mankind surrounding the prisoner? Yeah. I thought so.

I brainstormed some more.

Nothing came.

At least nothing that will work in this particular situation with the whole empty space of doom thing going on.

If only I had received training for this back a couple years ago…I'm sure there was some way!

Even though the circumstances are a bit…odd…it still relates to a classic prison break!

And there were at _least _101 different mafia tactics to get out of jail so why can't I come up with one?

And this conclusion ultimately led to me hating the world all over again just when I was starting to reconsider my view on the kind, caring universe that seemed to enjoy heaping a load of crap on my life just be-fucking-cause.

I ought to rejoice.

In my depressed emo state, I was totally oblivious to the scattered remains of my flames from earlier (failed) attacks on the wall.

While I seethed in rage and ongoing brainstorms because I wasn't giving up yet, my flames reacted to emotions since I was...uh…very resolved to break out…and they suddenly immobilized themselves around me for no reason and froze in a mist-like form.

I snapped out of my trance and looked around.

What could have caused my flames to react?

If I recall correctly, this sort of thing only happens when there was poison in the air or…oh.

Poison in a locked room.

How did I not see this coming? Jeez…

_Think fast! _I urged myself as the gas quickly started to gather around me.

What can I do?

Immobilizing the gas is the more obvious conclusion which I was already putting into action because even the densest idiot *Cough* Me*Cough* would be able to spot such solutions, but…what else could I do?

Think out of the box…I can do this…I'm not _that _bad...

Then it hit me like a sledgehammer. Of course. There were cameras in here, right?

They'll retrieve me the moment I pass out, or appear to pass out. Which means they will _have_ to enter this room to get my body.

How do you enter a room completely sealed?

You can't.

Which means…they'll create a new entrance.

Soon.

* * *

><p>I took a small, wary, not-exactly-a-whiff-but-still-similar-to-a-whiff of the fumes and identified it as sleeping gas.<p>

Careful not to overdo the acting, I surrounded myself with new flames and created a barrier that was visible to the naked eye since I was sorta freezing the gases in place and stuff?

Then, while the pretty mist distracted their attention, I secretly used faint, invisible Moon flames to coat my body.

Especially near the nose and mouth.

After I was done with the process, I made what would look like an accidental hole in my barrier so the fumes would seep in while I appeared to desperately try to clog up the fracture.

To anyone viewing this from a camera (Like say...Irie, Shouichi), it would seem as though the gas penetrated my defenses and got into my system thus causing me to drop like a fly.

In reality?

The moon flames I used to coat my body were in play and I made sure that my nose and mouth were completely clogged by immobile air molecules.

Urg. Making my body air-tight. Not the best thing to do for one who cares about heath.

But I only needed to seal my breath until the gases dispersed and the Millifiore arrive.

So I retained sealing my breathing and pretended to be unconscious.

The gases kept on coming. No men arrived yet.

But I still held my breath like a stubborn mule, dead set on not letting a single wisp of the sleeping gas dull my precious senses that would later come in play.

Finally, when I thought I'd die of lacking oxygen, the gases dispersed, slowly, but surely, meaning that they thought I was out cold.

Which was exactly according to plan.

Resisting the urged to gulp for air like a fish out of water, I held my breath until the last traces of the fumes vanished completely.

Then I took slow deep breaths as though I were unconscious.

Amazing what acting can do.

I kept the façade going and heard movements of various things doing various activites and various chatter and various other stuff.

Lots of things that varied.

And then one of them picked me up like some sort of doll and put me in this black sack of thick leather-ish material that screamed 'prisoner and capture.'

Something definitely not meant and totally unnecessary for a normal human being like me.

Putting all my effort in appearing relaxed and hiding killing intent at the same time (which is frigging hard), I maintained my ruse on the outside while plotting numerous ways of revenge on the inside until I dared to take a peep at the situation through the tiniest crack _ever _formed by my barely lifted eyelids.

I was out of the room in some random hall while the bastards dragged me around.

Mission successful (technically speaking since I'm out of the room).

Now, revenge…

Taking a deep breath, I burst out of the sack like a crazy chipmunk high on sugar and caused yells of shock and pain when I knocked them all out with the most brutal martial arts moves I know because after being lugged around like a sack of potatoes, stress tends to build up and when stress builds up, you take it out on something.

Preferably the 'something' that caused the stress in the first place.

I heard something crack. Ouch. But ah, revenge is so bittersweet…

I left the men there and set off in the direction my instincts told me to go, looking for a place where power-crazy mafioso could've battled.

AKA, a seriously jacked up place.

There were numerous ear-drum bursting explosions that rang through my mind when I was trapped in that room and while yes, that annoyed me to death and messed with my concentration, at least it meant they were all alive.

Engaging in battle, maybe, but alive.

This cold, piercing silence was getting on my nerves and my sense of dread was growing by the minute.

What on earth happened while I was trapped in that room?

* * *

><p>I ran and ran until I came across a dead end.<p>

Again. Like everything else that happened in the past thirty mintues.

Just as I was about to curse and start running the other way all over again like some dumb rat trapped in an endless maze filled with horrible monsters out to kill it for dinner, a voice stopped me.

"Vongola brat...you'll meet your end here."

My eyes widened.

There he was. Up above like some snooty hawk scanning me with the 'I am so much better than you.' look.

I eyed the dark haired guy with swords and made some connections in my head.

Genkishi. The noble knight of the Millifiore family capable of massacring a hell of a lot of people within minutes.

A complete stroke of luck that a weak little girl like _moi _happens to run into the guy.

Wow. Finally. It's time for my funeral...oh hey, he's one of the _Funeral _Wreaths!

Wonderful.

I decided it was probably a good idea to draw a weapon and get this over with so I slowly reached for my blade.

He merely raised an eyebrow.

"Vongola brat...you don't stand a chance. All your allies were killed by me."

I didn't comprehend for a moment.

Then it came crashing down as a sea of shock and pain as I realized what he was implying.

No...no way...

I felt that now was definitely the perfect time to cry like an idiot and I'm was pretty sure I probably would have...if their dead, marred bodies were right here in front of me.

Which they weren't.

Which meant they were most likely still alive and kicking although maybe not in the best of shapes.

But still alive.

Gut instinct, prehaps.

Or maybe it was just the fact that they've already been purposely placed in numerous deadly situations that were much more painful and dangerous than a weird-eyebrow guy with a sword (Examples: Thrown into a pool of sharks, put in a box that was soon to be stabbed by a hundred knives, facing lunatic bosses with insane fire-power, dealing with electrocution wake-up calls on a daily basis...).

In other words, if all these 'Vongola brats' had managed to live through every piece of shit thrown at them so far, it was as likely as hell freezing over that this retard with girly boots managed to kill all of them.

One of them, yeah, maybe, he's one of the six captains so that'd make sense.

But all at the same time? You're kidding.

What do you think my IQ is, negative 300? Besides, what about future Hibari?

"I don't believe you." I said flatly, in the coldest tone I could muster.

No.

I didn't believe this bastard with the funky eyebrows one bit.

Which was why I decided to unleash Yuu from her box and charge at the obnoxious jerk with lots of innocent intentions and possible death threats.

* * *

><p>Attacking him rapidly with fancy footwork, a panther, and some flames, I sent a barrage of flame-based air-slice thingies and observed carefully as he deflected all of them.<p>

Huh. Figures. Perfect reflexes from the perfect soldiers.

Genkishi opened his box and my eyes widened as I was suddenly surrounded my missiles.

"Pitiful girl, this is an illustration of your situation now." Genkishi said, as if victory was assured and this little thing in front of him called 'Kurogane, Mei' was soon to be wiped off the face of the earth via dark, dangerous missiles.

I braced myself. Just how many times had I done this in training with my box weapon? A couple hundred?

So yeah, I was pretty prepared. Funny how my training seemed to be dead-on to what I'll encounter.

...That was what I thought before the missiles became invisible.

With the widening of my eyes an immediate leap backwards, I paled slightly as the space I once occupied was impaled with deadly Mist missiles.

Yuu wasn't quite so lucky.

With a cry of pain, it returned to my box and I had no intentions of calling it back out.

"Vongola brat...You are from 10 years in the past. Your box weapon is weak. You cannot win against me."

...and please, for the sake of our dearest Pete, can you, sir, yes _you,_ shut the fuck up for me?

No such luck.

"Disappear." He said.

And I had thought Belphegore was dramatic.

I stiffened and ducked for cover as the deadly aerial assault began.

I gasped in pain as one nicked my shoulder. Another on my leg. Then ribs. Knees. Hands. Stomach.

A cycle of long, tortuous pain because either _someone _didn't just finish me off or that I was doing a half-decent job a dodging the missiles.

...Now that I think about it, Genkishi doesn't seem like a sadist so I'll stick with the latter.

I suffered from increasing wounds and tried to figure out what I can do while Genkishi watched like the bastard he is at the sight of a little girl suffering.

No way was I letting him get pleasure out of this. Aw, hell no.

So I came up with a marvelous idea.

I turned invisible.

The look on his face was absolutely _priceless _as he realized that he just got duped by a harmless looking little girl.

Oh yeah, he's a pro illusionist so he'll see through any illusion.

But you know, my invisibility is no illusion, _friend._

So while I'm temporarily freed from flying missiles that'll turn me to a charred corpse, I had a new problem: Genkishi himself.

My swordsman-er...swords_woman_-ship would probably lead to imminent death since Genkishi was like five hundred times stronger in that aspect so no, that's out of question.

Next up, stamina.

...no.

And that leaves...speed.

Yes. Maybe.

I'm lighter, had years of experience running from bullet shots, explosions, miniature atomic bombs, and a variety of other things forced onto me by Mafioso freakzoids.

So you've got to give me some credit for evasiveness.

Plus, my physique is on my side in this attribute of combat.

So I guess speed it shall be.

I tried tactics similar to what I did to the brave and truly noble Nigella-san of dramatic introductions.

The hit-and-run sequence.

But invisible this time. Which means I'm on a very strict time limit.

I went at him, slashing with all my might and then being carried away by momentum before he can do damage or even glimpse me.

It worked well. A little _too _well.

When I belatedly realized that 'OMFG, he wants me to get close and attack!', I was already in midair with my blade in place.

So I charged, careful for any tricks that he'll pull with those swords on his arms.

I was concentrating so frigging hard and successfully dodged his counterattacks (how did he _do _that? I mean sure, I cause disturbances in air, but...I'm still _invisible._ Even to skilled illusionists. Mukuro included...probably).

So concentrated in fact, that everything else was a blur and while this was good for ensuring I didn't take a hit from the blade in his hand and dying right there...That didn't mean he couldn't use his other blades.

The ones on his feet.

The ones I foolishly overlooked in my panic to dodge his other attacks because avoiding imminent death was priority #1 in my book.

Which was why I was in this dire situation with my eyes slightly widened in shock and my mouth opening to gasp in pain.

Swords flashed. Blood spattered.

The results weren't pretty.

* * *

><p><strong>A cliffhanger to chew on! ^_^<strong>

**...please don't kill me. I'll _probably _update soon so...until then, everyone!**

**P.S. Did you know...that reviews ultimately equal extreme motivation to write super fast in an author's mind?**

**Ciao!**

****_~To My Dear Reviewers of Last Chapter~_****

**DarkestEnd , Sharkdude5 , ****April Marciano , hiyomi , InK4bLoOd , HiBiRdEpIc , and TheParadoxicalOtaku and everyone else, THANK YOU!**

**As usual, all of you are appreciated TO THE EXTREME! I will update just for the sake of you kind people above all else!**

** ARIGATOUGOZAIEMASU~!...Did I spell that right? Nah...**

****_~In Response to Actual Questions and/or Sort-Of Questions~_****

****novellanite12****- _Well I agree with you there...but it won't work for my plot and a brother and sister going out with each other...uh...I'd rather not. Woot! Enma-fans! Someone who approves! I support nearly _all_ the couples...but Enma, as you said, is new and interesting and I'd like to give him a shot :) Thank you very much for reviewing! :D It always brightens my day...a lot ^_^_

**TsubasaFan1230 **_- Yep. Reborn threw in some blackmail and death threats along with some good 10YL Lambo shots XD. I figured older Lambo would have more fans than younger Lambo and Reborn is Reborn so he'd probably figure that out as well and voila, Lambo fan-pictures are born! And, YEEES! I should definitely do a omake for the gang's reactions to fanwebsites! Thank you for the idea! And the reviews! And for making me happy! And for everything else! THAAAANKKK YOOOUUU! Okay, I should stop before you get annoyed..._

**peppermint twertle **_Well, I'm glad your question has been answered! Hibari's fangirls...yes. That would probably make very good blackmail material...If Hibari doesn't track down their house, stalk over there, and make them pass out from sheer awesome-ness that is Hibari Kyoya. The two look alot like...for now. THANK YOU FOR REVIEWING! Mei shall go file that lawsuit as well!_

**13simplestrongsoul98** _Yeah, Id hate to be Mei, stalked wherever she goes...The Simon Arc will be part of this fanfic! Actually, this story will keep going along with the manga 'till it ends! So no worries about it ending any time soon ^_^ Thank you for reviewing!_

**stealthclaw** _Hmmm...you're right, TsunaXMei balances out pretty nicely...But HibariXMei go along appearance wise. EnmaXMei...I have no idea O.O Thank you soooo much for reviewing!_


	21. First Aid Gets Complicated

Shit. Has my time finally come?

…Was what I thought as a hurtled towards the wall on the far side of the room with a giant gash around the middle.

I had merely seconds to counterattack before I made contact with the cold hard stone and became crushed to the point of no return.

Which meant that if I was gonna do something, I had to do it NOW.

And so I made a split-second choice because while dying and leaving this world for a place of peace and joy in the after-life sounded fuckin' gorgeous, my pride and dignity would NEVER let me go down like this.

After the way my parents died? After coming this far in my mission? Hell no.

If I'm going down, SOMEBODY is coming with me.

So with the memory of my family's honor and gallant deaths, I counterattacked with the only thing I had in mind: explosive air-bombing.

Discharging all my flames into the area and immobilizing as much air as possible, I froze everything within 10 meter radius and then rapidly manipulated it into a deadly vortex of flames and air pressure via extreme flame control.

The results? A friggin' HUGE silver twister vortex thing that wreaked havoc on much of the room.

Ha. Eat that, Genkishi.

There was just one diminutive little down side to this technique.

It was sorta…self-destructive…

You know, since I was already flying through the air to begin with?

And now I just started a tornado in the room? Which was accelerating my crash landing and imminent death?

Yeah.

It's unbelievable what you can do in a few seconds (Uh-huh. That's right. The whole silver flame bomb/vortex thing took place in the seconds I was hurtling through air while gushing blood. That's just AMAZING. Really.)

So although I probably did a remarkable amount of damage to Genkishi…I pretty much ensured that I wouldn't be getting up after this.

Especially since I crashed into a wall, fell a couple hundred feet, and then got buried by giant chunks of what used to be the room.

Freaking gorgeous.

Luckily, the pieces were all really big and stacked on top of each other so nothing came down and squashed me like a bug since they kind of piled together in a tent-like structure (now that's one seriously FLAT and JACKED UP tent) that gave me a decent amount of space, but still trapped me nevertheless.

But there were still openings and peepholes so it was okay. Despite the fact that I was still very much pinned down.

Anyways, through the cracks and the plumes of dust, I could see that there were shattered parts of the room all over the place piling up to 3 meters high so wow, that move did a lot more than I calculated.

To both my joy and disappointment, I saw Genkishi get pegged by a rock (HA.), nearly get hit by a couple large chucks of falling _stuff _(Tch. He dodged.), and walk around looking very annoyed and somewhat injured.

Which means ultimately, my sacrifice wasn't in vain.

Huh. Well isn't that great?

All the wonderful things induced by my little vortex aside, it's time to take a look at the bad side of the situation: _Moi._

AKA, the one who started this fiasco because a certain swordsman somehow landed a fatal blow.

Hmmm…

Well, I'm just facing a massive, foot-long gash about an inch deep right in the middle of my stomach added with uncountable scrapes and painful injuries that laced every fuckin' INCH of my body plus the growing dizziness that was nearing a nightmarish migraine due to losing brain cells in that final crash.

Yep. I'm fine. Perfectly healthy and not about to faint from blood-loss and various other things.

Nothing to worry about.

…

Yeah, that's complete bull-crap right there.

Gritting my teeth and putting all my effort into moving my arm (_Excruciating _pain! It hurts like hell! Just what the heck did I do to myself?), I did a little cheer as I managed to move a couple fingers.

Barely.

But still, my limbs are intact (ish?) and that makes a big difference.

A VERY big difference.

Last resort back-up plan, here I come…

* * *

><p><em><strong>~Genkishi POV~<strong>_

Genkishi coughed a couple times and then surveyed his new surrounds filled with a vast array of rocks, rocks, and more rocks. Plus the random chunk of wall here and there.

He was soooo happy about this joyous predicament forced onto him.

Now. What was he going to do?

Judging from the amount of damage done and the way the technique was performed (What idiot would cause an explosion that big right in their own face? Other than the truly suicidal or mental?), Genkishi deemed that it was reasonable to assume the move was self-destructive and meant to take him down with her.

While it was truly an impressive technique, fortunately for him (but not for Mei), he had been a good distance away from her and though he was still caught up in the blast, the walls were battered, but still standing and thus, he wasn't crushed along with her.

Though he _had_ to admit the little brat was darn resourceful to pull something like this the moment she saw that victory was slipping away.

An ingenious last strategy, really, seeing as he knew for sure that his slash with the blade was fatal enough to ensure certain death.

Self-destruction was the best way to go.

Too bad for her, he survived and she didn't because after taking his hit and then being buried by the cascade off falling rocks, the kid was dead for sure.

A heroic end, trying to take the enemy down with her.

But failure, nonetheless.

And now he had new company, so the Vongola brat was no longer of consequence in his mind for none other than Sawada Tsunayoshi has arrived.

* * *

><p><em><strong>~With Tsuna~<strong>_

HDW Tsuna came upon a beautiful scene: The walls were barely standing, there was a gaping hole on the roof, weird swirly dents added an artistic touch to the disaster, and suspicious piles of what used to be the wall were stacked around.

In other words, the place was completely screwed up. To the extreme.

He stared.

Reborn stared.

Genkishi stared.

Spanner decided to join.

There was silence.

Mei had a sudden, indescribable urge to smack her head on a wall.

Too bad she couldn't seeing as she's…you know…completely torn to shreds at the moment?

But anyways, once the staring fest was over, Genkishi did his 'You shall not pass because I will rip your guts out' speech and the battle started with Reborn and Spanner as the audience, Mei being the hidden, unknown force in the room, and Irie as the evil mastermind pulling the strings.

Tsuna was all calm and badass until Genkishi went 'I killed all your friends' in his face.

Which, predictably, caused Tsuna to charge at him in rage and lose his calm completely.

Not a very good choice.

Tsuna got hit by an X attack on his back and hit the ground hard, becoming still and making a face of pain.

Reborn's depressing narrations didn't help the situation either.

Things were not good. At all.

And then it just got a heck of a lot better when Genkishi went soul-less demon with creepy armor on them.

* * *

><p><em><strong>~With Mei~<strong>_

I couldn't help but snort on the inside when Genkishi started talking about how he killed all of Tsuna's friends.

I mean…I'm still alive. Right under his nose.

Though supposedly, I'm a dead corpse so I can't blame him that much for thinking he killed me…

When Genkishi transformed, I had a sinking, nauseous feeling in my stomach and something told me that his appearance wasn't the only thing that changed.

While it was encouraging that Tsuna was still brave enough to counter the thing, I knew that something was seriously wrong.

Something was going to happen soon.

And I needed to stop it.

But while that was a wonderful idea, I have some serious handicaps such as….the need to piece my bones back together bit by bit (It is frigging PAINFUL) via moon flames.

Well. I better get in gear and start moving.

Slowly, my fingers curled into a fist and I felt the Vongola Ring ignite.

Perfect. Step one complete.

Now, ignoring my regular pain spasms sent by the brain to say 'STOP MOVING, IDIOT!', I slowly brought my ring up to my chest so I inhaled my flames and sent them directly into my nervous system thus forcibly making the brain cease its constant whining on how the body was about to fall apart.

Gradually, I lost all feeling in my body and without the pain to get in my way, I slowly shifted into a crouching position and let my flames surround my hand (Like Tsuna! Just… a lot less epic …).

From here, I carefully applied my flames onto broken bones and started the slow process of immobilizing them back together.

A task of ridiculously high concentration.

Thankfully, my nerves were shut down so I didn't have any sudden urges to scream in pain or writhe with terror (If I did…Well, suicide lane, here I come. Say hi to Genkishi for me, will you?), but I could still feel the creepy-ness that comes with pulling a body back together after it was ripped to pieces.

For those who are curious: You don't want to experience it. EVER. Trust me on this.

After what felt like hours (It was actually only a few lonnnng minutes), flames held my shattered limbs back together and I could once again move.

The next issue was the blood.

The stuff was all over the place and judging from the fact that I was getting really dizzy despite my frozen nerve system, I must have lost a pretty big chunk of red blood cells.

Well. The obvious solution was to stop the blood flow so I did exactly that.

Rubbing my flames against/into my wounds, I made my wounds' molecules immobilized and put a halt to the free flowing red stuff.

It wasn't _that_ hard, really.

Just rub, rub, let the silvery stuff soak in, and watch as the pretty sparkles keep your insides from spilling out.

Great. Simply wonderful.

I was now a giant patchwork quilt of flames and limbs that were likely to break from the slightest poke at any moment.

My chances against Genkishi?

Probably something like negative 600.

Oh wait- I forgot that Tsuna's here and I have to help him so in that case, my chances are…still negative 300.

Totally awesome odds. Therefore I should go ahead and jump into battle.

So I tried to stand up…And met with complete failure.

…Whut?

* * *

><p>Apparently something was not right seeing as standing up caused immense dizziness and sudden collapsing of the scrawny limbs.<p>

I was mystified until I realized that while yes, I effectively mended my limbs through immobilization, my muscles are exhausted, my flames are near nonexistent at this point, and my stamina was long dead after fighting Black Spell, random Millifiore soldiers, Nigella, a rebounding room, and, of course, Genkishi.

Which meant that even though I'm no longer about to freaking die, I was still very much a useless blob.

That was wonderful.

Just so freaking wonderful.

So instead of lugging myself out there and possibly aiding Tsuna, I was to sit like some brainless idiot and watch from the shadows, hoping not to be discovered until Genkishi is defeated.

You have to admit that I had a legit reason to be pissed at the universe.

So I seethed accordingly on the inside at my own hopelessness and grabbed my blade even though it was of no use to me in my condition because I had nothing else to do.

Watching from an opening, I observed as Tsuna seemed to put up a pretty formidable fight.

Maybe not assisting was a good idea…I might have slowed him down.

And then…I felt this evil, stomach-churning aura that spoke of certain doom and heinous crimes.

My eyes widened as Genishi shot something at Tsuna in a beam of white light and skeletons.

I was like 'WTF?' until…it turned into Yamamoto.

I stared, revolted as Genkishi made more copies ofTsuna's friends and allies.

They were all perfect images wearing the same clothes I had last seen them in and then even Lambo and Ipin (How the heck did he even see their faces?) started surrounding Tsuna and saying words that obviously prevented him from attacking.

I was thoroughly disgusted at Genkishi's dirty antics to use Tsuna's kind heart against him.

I knew he would never strike his friends. Ever.

And then Tsuna's eye's widened as out from Genkishi came…me.

Despite the gravity of the situation, I _had _to blanch at the sight of me because…what the hell is up with that expression?

My...mirror image thing…was having silent tears stream out of her eyes with an anguished expression of hurt and sorrow and vulnerability and– and– URG…WHAT IS THIS THING?

I was twitching with disbelief and indignity at the sight of myself and the fact that Tsuna actually seemed to believe that I (yes, ME) was capable of making such a face!

Sure, I make odd faces when I'm in pain, but c'mon!

That thing is _complete_ blasphemy compared to the real person!

With the aid of rage induced by indignity, I summoned hidden reserves of strength I never knew I had and burst out from under that damn pile of rocks with some silver flames and shining blades.

Huh. Like a knight in shining armor…NOT. More like some torn up little animal making a desperate final stand.

"Tsuna!" I called, "Don't believe him! I'm right here!"

And then the room turns to stare at me in outraged disbelief (Genkishi in Demon Mode), shocked wonder (Tsuna and Spanner) or smugness (Reborn).

Ah, I am such a positive figure of joy and happiness, aren't I?

No, seriously, I'm being sincere.

Tsuna was like 'OHMIGOD' and then started freezing the hands of the fakes and they floated off on their way.

And then…X-Burner.

The ultimate technique. Very scary to the random girl passing by. Very scary indeed.

So Tsuna successfully blew up Genkishi…I think. Did he get away in the end?

And then the roof of the room officially started collapsing and I was all for getting nailed in the head by the random chunk of rock, but HDW Tsuna did a good job a preventing that.

Swooping in like a hawk, he grabbed me by the waist (Watch it! I'm still injured there! Even if I don't feel it…), and took me over to where Spanner was.

Then he created a flame shield and protected the two useless blobs from death through falling rocks.

How kind.

The guy in the green suit (Spanner? I think he's called Spanner…He's an ally. That'll be the only reason Tsuna would protect him) thanked him and Reborn popped up again since the danger was over.

"Thank you…" I murmured.

And then I was nearly blinded by Tsuna's pure, holy smile that scorched my dark and gloomy soul with its sunny radiance.

Urg. Sunshine smiles. IT'S TOO MUCH.

"Mei…I'm glad you're alive…" He said, and I just nodded wordlessly like I wasn't half blinded my his painfully kind and caring smile that threatened to crack my icy heart that was sealed.

"Oi, Mei, good job." Says Reborn and I turn to him gratefully, happy to escape the radiant smile sent in my direction by HDW Tsuna (The warmth! It's deadly! To me, anyways…)

And then we turned to upwards to see the white machine right there, waiting like the prize of the hard fought battle.

About time, too. Mission (almost) accomplished.

* * *

><p>Tsuna took me under his arm again, taking precautions to assure I didn't get hurt (What is UP with him? It's like his affection levels suddenly increased by 50% or something…must be the near death experiences. It's causing him to see my sudden value as a Guardian. Yeah, that's it…), and flew Spanner up to the white machine.<p>

There we met…Irie Shoichi.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi and Kurogane Mei…I never expected the two of you to make it so far…"

Shit…why NOW?

I was about to charge at the dude despite the fact that I was dead on my feet but then…He showed his hostages.

Damn. I hate it when things go like this.

Irie then released some sort of gas into the tank-thing that trapped the Guardians and they woke up.

Expectedly, Gokudera's first lines were "JUDAIMEI!" like usual.

Then he smacked his head on the transparent wall and exclaimed "Ow!"

Everyone came to and realized their fuckin' gorgeous situation at the mercy of the enemy captain.

I was smart enough to know that Irie held all the cards in his hands and that obeying for now would be the wisest decision.

So I did.

The gang listened as Irie gave his long, winding speech that answered a few questions (such as what was in the white machine), and then explained their goal.

One thing interested me.

It was all 7 for everything and the Moon Ring was never mentioned so…what did that mean?

That they didn't know I existed and I somehow kept them in the dark about the 8th ring this whole time?

Hm…I'll ponder on that later…

Tsuna came out of dying will mode at some point and then the Cervello took over.

"Sawda Tsunayoshi…hand over your sky ring or your Guardians die."

And I don't have to?

Interesting. VERY interesting. They really didn't seem to know about me…

I kept silent and let Tsuna make his decision since he's technically 'The Boss' and this is the type of thing he exists for and I shouldn't interfere.

But that doesn't mean I had no intention of going all murderous on the Cervello the moment they let their guards down.

They never asked for my ring in the first place so HA. Besides, I've recovered a bit of strength by now and I can safely swing a sword without falling into pieces…again.

"Kurogane, Mei, surrender peacefully and come with us if you don't want to be harmed."

Pardon? You want ME? Like…in the flesh, alive and whole, and not just my ring?

…Fat chance.

I responded with a scowl and a deadpan glare that proclaimed my innocent intentions as though they were spoken out loud.

I swear they twitched.

The others helped me make up my mind and hold firm against their will seeing as Lal yelled

"Kurogane! Don't give in to them! Stand strong and fight!" and Gokudera called,

"Don't listen to them! They'll kill us all once they have the rings!"

Ah, sweet, sweet, comrades trapped in a cage calling encouragements to a girl who's going to die soon…

Such wonderful things.

I was flat out refusing to cooperate whereas Tsuna was all too willing to give up the ring to save his friends' lives.

Did he not see the obvious trap? What'll we do once they have both the ring and the helpless Guardians?

Pray for divine intervention?

"3…2…1…" the Cervello counted.

*BANG*

* * *

><p>Gunshots. Staring. Irie Shoichi.<p>

A colorful combination capable of inducing skull numbing shock and blanching courtesy of your neighborhood Moon Guardian who was very much confused and about to start slicing things up just because there's really nothing else to do.

Following Irie's shocking revelation was another long speech on why this happened, who's the enemy, why he has a stomachache, and what the fuck is going on.

I listened intently and agreed with Reborn.

His explanation made plenty of sense and answered a lot of questions I had (though not all of them).

And just when I was starting to respect him and go "Wow, you're pretty cool for going undercover like that." he starts panicking for some unknown reason and I start staring at him…again.

Like I've been doing for the past hour and thirty minutes.

Huh.

Okay, so now that Irie is officially an ally, we are no longer under threat of imminent death, and about 80% of the enemies are gone, it was time to rest.

At last. After going through all that bull-crap thrown at me.

To tell the truth, it was a high time miracle I lived through this mission (With various broken limbs and wounds) and everyone was safe.

Mostly.

For now, anyways.

"Mei, are you alright!" Tsuna said, coming over to me after checking up everyone else.

He skidded to a halt a few feet away from me and I just blinked slowly as though just now fully comprehending what I achieved (I didn't die! That alone is a great achievement!) and then said in a somewhat sluggish voice,

"I'm fine."

He looked happy and let out a sigh of relief…only for it to be caught in mid-breath as he suddenly noticed my numerous wounds that started bleeding again since my flames were starting to fade.

So I was gushing blood all over the place again.

"MEI!" He cried, running over and doing a fine job of violating my personal space by grabbing my hand and pulling me over to one of the emergency beds.

"You have so many wounds! Shoichi-san, WE NEED FIRST AID!" He shrieked, nearly hysterical for some reason.

I mentally shrugged.

After looking around the room, it was safe to say that I was by far the most battered of all.

I _did _play the decoy so it made sense…just not to those who didn't know.

AKA everyone minus Lal and Reborn.

As Tsuna dragged me onto a bed and instructed me to stay put as though he was afraid I'd run off (I'm not THAT stupid. I mean…where would I go?), I let a faint, near invisible smile grace my lips.

It's been a long time since someone's cared for me.

Every time I got hurt in the past, I'd usually just hide my wounds and tend them myself somewhere in my apartment all alone…

Being fawned over was still new to me.

So you could imagine my shock when Gokudera stalked over here and yelled,

"WHAT DID HELL DID YOU DO?" with eyes that barely concealed his concerns for me.

How pleasant. I can add broken eardrums to my list of injuries.

But it was still nice to know he cared for me enough to throw a screaming fit for my sake.

* * *

><p>After I got Gokudera off my back for the whole 'Getting hurt and worrying Judaimei' thing, Chrome dropped by for a word of encouragement and I grinned (Attempted to. I think I managed to make it somewhat visible this time) at the shy girl.<p>

She blushed at my acknowledgement and then walked away.

She was so innocent…someone like her didn't deserve this kind of life…

And then of course, Tsuna _would _be the one to bring the bandages and start wrapping up my most obvious wounds with extreme caution and care as though he was working on delicate glass.

While it bugged me a little to be seen as delicate, I couldn't pass up the chance to tease him (It was a golden opportunity! I had to do it!)

"Anywhere else?" He asked as he finished up on one of my arm wounds.

I kept a blank expression and then said,

"Under my chest." with a bored voice that sounded pretty darn serious.

I even pushed off the covers and tilted my head down for emphasis.

Tsuna promptly turned seven shades of red that would have put a strawberry to shame while hyperventilating with steam coming from his ears and I gave a faint laugh at his reaction.

He paused and stared for some reason.

I stared back after halting my little bout of laughter.

Then he started blushing even MORE and I sweatdropped a little.

I was just teasing to lighten up the mood…I mean, I might be a depressing person, but too much stress really isn't good for my mental health…

"I'll be doing that one myself." I amended after Tsuna started stuttering something incomprehensible and going so red that I was starting to get worried.

As I took the bandages from his hands (Did he just blush even more?) and lifted part of my shirt to tend to the wounds (Hey. Not that much. Just up to my ribs.), Tsuna maintained his blush and then finally said something comprehensible to the outside world.

"M-Mei!" he cried, still sounding flushed from my joke.

I looked up from my bandaging (Crap, it got all tangled! Noooo…) and eyed him quizzically.

Was teasing really that big of a deal?

I just brushed it off and went back to work on that deep red gash in the middle of my ribs (The one Genkishi gave me) while Tsuna stared.

And stared.

And stared.

And kept staring.

…It was starting to feel awkward.

"Herbivore, move." A cold voice declared.

Tsuna 'Eep!'-ed and moved aside quickly as Hibari came over for some mysterious, unknown reason.

I blinked again.

Just exactly _why_ were they acting so weird around me?

I'm just tending my wounds…and was it _that_ disturbing that my shirt was partway lifted?

Must be something in the air…Yeah, that's it.

The chemicals released due to blowing up various powerful technologies in a mafia base created unknown substances in the air and thus, people are acting weird.

Right. Brain pollution via the odd plumes of smoke inhaled here and there.

Nothing special.

More importantly, what did Hibari want with–

"Hn." He walked away.

…

Well aren't you the happy one.

Was staring at a girl for long periods of time PDA and thus against Namimori school rules or something?

I guess I'll never know...

And now that I look back, this was the most I ever smiled in the period of one hour.

I even _laughed _for a second or two.

Woah. Near death experiences really _do _bring out the other side of people.

* * *

><p><em><strong>~OMAKE: Monster Tamer Tsuna~<strong>_

Once upon a time, in a village far away, there was a lonely orphan called Meiko.

Meiko was an ordinary girl in an ordinary village with an ordinary appearance that did not scream 'I am a deadly monster waiting to kill you all when you turn your backs! Mwuahahaha!'

Right. That's what she was. Your average orphan girl.

Until the fateful day the great Hibarin came to her village and killed them all, coming over to Meiko's home through the front door expecting a trembling blob soon to die.

And what did he come across?

The blankest deadpan ever.

Meiko never DID care for life and wasn't going to start caring anytime soon so…

"Hi." She said, as though the feared vampire were some kind of everyday thing.

In response the vampire said his catchphrase and bit her on the neck.

She was like 'Oh. Cool. I'm gonna die now. Yaaaay…Mother in heaven, here I come…'

But seeing as the universe had some kind of serious grudge against the poor girl, instead of successfully dying (Which really shouldn't be THAT hard to do), Meiko became…a bloodless human being who needed to hunt others to survive.

AKA, a vampire.

Well. Isn't that wonderful?

And then…

"Wait. Why am I floating?" She said as she looked down at her transparent form with fangs.

Scratch that last statement. She wasn't JUST a vampire. She was a DEAD vampire.

Exactly what the world needs.

The ghost of a vampire haunting them all.

How nice.

_**To Be Continued...**_

* * *

><p><strong>And...The tie was broken! What won? You'll have to wait and see...<strong>

**To people who asked questions: Hope you got my PM! And yes, I'll be PM-ing to respond to the reviews from now on!**

**To the readers and story alert-ers -THANK YOU! YOU GIVE ME SO MUCH MOTIVATION!**

**To the reviewers - THANK YOU! I LOVE YOU! YOU ARE ALL TOTALLY AWESOME!**

**Oh and...the author corner will be a whole lot shorter now since I have VERY limited time these days and I'm sure you prefer the actual story more than a super long author's note :)**

**Feel free to check out KHR fanfic Perfectly Hopeless with your spare time XD (I updated! But it was on a weekday so I don't think anyone noticed...)**

**Ciao~**


	22. And Arcobaleno Trials Commence

…And with a flash of light, a shiny rainbow tunnel, and a mini-blackout, we're all back to the past.

The New Group Mission: Obtain Arcobaleno Seals then return to the future Apocalypse

Personal Mission: Get the heck outta here and keep a low profile the first chance you get.

Which is now.

So I just randomly vanished off somewhere while Tsuna's back was turned.

I'm such a kind friend, aren't I?

The thing is, I am not required to participate in these wacko trial thingies cause…I'm the Moon Guardian.

The position that was missing for a good couple generations.

And since the whole case about the 8th ring was pretty much forgotten by this time (I mean, past bosses did these trials too. Was there a Moon Guardian? Nope. So HA.) I can happily skip the trial without a care in mind.

Unless…the Arcobaleno specifically request me. Which they can't.

Not if they've got no clue where I am, anyways.

So putting my hard earned mobility skills from years of being put in deadly Mafioso-related situations to good use, I went off to my apartment and told the front desk person that I'd like to switch rooms.

"Why?" He asked, perplexed expression on his face.

So I told him some complete bullshit I made up in a split second…

"The roof fell down, there's a giant hole in the wall, and somehow, the bathroom is flooded with boiling water. I was _only _gone for three days."

…And caused him to immediately spill his cup of coffee all over his expensive suit (It's a victory for poor people!…Well, _former _poor people since I'm technically rich now…) and start apologizing like his life depended on it.

I just took it all in with my default deadpan expression of 'Are you done yet?' while the poor receptionist finished up his 'Sorry, sorry, sorry!' tirade.

With that, I successfully secured a new room in the same apartment on the top floor where no one but residents are allowed.

Which meant no visitors. Ever.

And sure, it's a waste of money, but when you're dealing with the deadliest seven hitmen on the face of the earth, decoys, distractions, and false leads are necessities for survival.

So from here, I went to the next most expensive hotel, bought the fanciest and most luxurious rooms, and then continued on and on, using clever aliases that will definitely be seen through by someone with a good eye.

Just to throw them off track even more, I also rented various normal apartments, bought a house on the outskirts of town, went off the next town and rented a hotel there, and even exposed some of my numerous hiding places in the city by laying out not-exactly-obvious-but-still-kinda-really-visible tracks for Reborn to find.

And in the end, by continuously renting endless amounts of high class hotels in random towns nearby as well as purchasing an average apartment every now and then…I ended up spending XXXXXXXXXXXXX dollars in less than 12 hours.

It was for a good cause. Like my sanity.

And now the next problem: School.

I dealt with this the simple way.

The Phone Call.

"Hello?" a nice female voice answered.

"Kurogane, Mei will be absent for the next week or so. Excuse those absences."

"M-Madam, I don't think that —"

"Please read her background information. Specifically, the one about her lawyers and relatives."

Silence.

"…Y-Y-Yes…Of c-c-ourse…Whatever you say…" the voice stuttered after a good amount of delay.

And then I politely hung up on her.

Connections make your life so much easier, don't you think?

Especially when they're with the world's number one female lawyer by the name of Alicia.

And she scares even _me._ Sometimes.

…Actually, _all _the time because who the hell enjoys forcing completely mature teenage girls into the most ridiculous cosplay costumes ever with _pink _and _frills _and all that horribly _cute _stuff to sell on the internet?

What was I, her frigging _doll?_ Urg…horrible memories...

Anyways, Segreto family connections took care of the school issue as well as funds so all that was left is to move out of town and live as normally as possible for the next week before hauling myself back here to undo everything because I don't want to accidently make my family go bankrupt.

So.

From there, with nothing but the clothes on my back, a credit card, and numerous mafia-related items, I called out some skilled Segreto chauffeur to take me out of town without leaving a single trance.

I told him to go somewhere random.

He did exactly that.

Which pretty much summed up why I was now standing in some random ordinary town a good distance from Namimori, waiting in an atrociously long line to register in the perfectly normal hotel, and using my most unused alias to get maximum cover.

This week was going to be fun.

Oh yes— _so _much fun.

* * *

><p><em><strong>~With Tsuna~<strong>_

He had just turned away for five seconds. _Five—freakin'—seconds._

And yet somehow, three of his guardians managed to vanish without a trance when it hasn't even been ten minutes yet.

It made him feel like a wonderful boss, loved by his endearing subordinates who were coincidentally endowed with the skills to leave their boss's side on split second notice.

Yeah. _Leave _the boss, not _come _to the boss.

He can't help but feel that something was wrong about that.

Tsuna dropped off everyone at their respective homes and then headed back with the self-proclaimed right-hand man…as usual.

After explaining stuff and going into his room he opened the door to find Gokudera coming over again to discuss something about the trials, Judaimei's awesomeness, and how they'll ace the tests…as usual.

Then Reborn quickly started the massive lecture on Arcobaleno and Mafia and 'Tsuna, this is your Boss moment!' speech…as usual.

And then Yamamoto also comes along and there's the whole 'Where the hell is Kurogane!' speech since one octopus head thought she should be there too…which really wasn't that usual because Mei _should _have been there with the rest of them…

Putting 'the usual stuff' aside, Reborn finished his long, winding speech on Arcobaleno and their mad killing skills and reminded Tsuna that he himself was a Arcobaleno too.

Which meant that at some point, Tsuna would have to fight the very same Spartan tutor that taught him oh…about 99.99% of everything he knew.

The chances of victory were beautiful.

* * *

><p><em><strong>~With Mei~<strong>_

An ordinary apartment.

Simple white bed, plain wooden desk, and the other basic necessities of life without the extra stuff paranoid mafioso throw in.

It's been such a long time since I've been in such an environment…Brings back memories.

I sighed and went about my business, letting my old habits take over (said habits induced by years of assassinations attempts) and then set up all sorts of safeguards to make sure no one comes and sets a nuclear bomb in while I'm gone.

And yes. It's happened before. The results weren't pretty. It is also possibly the reason I hated science with a passion.

After taking a few minutes to rest after doing the security check, I went off to explore my new surroundings and get some food and clothing which was…

Not a good choice. Unsurprisingly.

I was just minding my own business, taking a causal stroll down the street with a normal blank expression and normal looking clothes and all that other 'normal' stuff an ordinary citizen would have but…somehow, I still turned myself into the magnet for bloody violence.

I had just turned a corner when I heard someone yelling something like 'SAVE MEEEE! I'M TOO YOUNG TO DIE!' and a tall shadowy figure chasing them down and impaling them against the wall with…steel fans?

Wonderful.

Going into 'ignore the fuckin' world for my sanity' mode, I just kept on walking and disregarding the adorable scene going on behind me.

"ARRRGGG!" came the horrific yells followed by the sound of someone ravaging a poor soul (i.e. the sound of a skull slammed into the ground followed by numerous…unpleasant noises…and screams and cries and all that other stuff).

And here I thought that Namimori was the only town with bloodcurdling screams for background music.

I guess I was wrong.

So once again ignoring the eyes that bore into the back of my head, I strolled towards the grocery store, fully intent on getting something random that I like (such as chocolate. Or sushi.) only to run into some mysterious unknown figure making his way out.

*WHAM!*

Ow. That _hurt._

While luckily, I did not fall straight down and land on my rear end, the same can't be said of the person who ran into me.

The short boy with red hair hit the ground hard, and spilled all his stuff, winced, and muttered to himself about his stupidity.

I almost sighed.

This was like Tsuna#2 with red hair.

And to increase that (unfortunate) resemblance, he even started apologizing rapidly and scooting away like he was afraid I'd hurt him or something.

Which was ridiculous.

Because I _only _had vampire skin, creepy eyes (whoa, scratch that, his eyes are creepier than mine!), and a couple years of mafia training behind me, so what's there to fear?

Tired and not in the mood to actually say 'Okay. You can stop apologizing now.', I just sighed and started picking up his spilled groceries which effectively made him cease his consistent 'Sorry!'s that was starting to get on my nerves because this was the second time today someone started that tirade.

Then I put his now fixed grocery bag into his arms (is something wrong with him? He looks rather red…) and then fixed him with my stare.

He looked away nervously and I took note that he was wearing a school uniform thus meaning that he was from here and probably knew the town well.

Good. For me, that is.

* * *

><p><em>Attempting<em> to soften my expression, I _nicely _asked him if he was from this town.

"…Yes…" he said, his soft voice giving my ears a break because for once in my life, there exists a being who can talk quietly without popping my eardrums or going on and on about useless stuff for decades and decades until I grow old and start sporting gray hair (yeah, his apology was pretty annoying. Do people not understand that _once _is enough and that long tirades tend to piss off the receiver?)

And then I asked if he can show me around since I was new here.

He was quiet for a while.

I kept staring and started unconsciously tilting my head and letting my curiosity show on my face.

What was taking him so long?

And did he twitch? No, must have been my imagination…

"Sure…" He said in that quiet voice of his, not meeting my eyes.

Yeesh. Talk about shy. Either that, or I'm just…off putting.

I'm vote on the latter.

And so, he (reluctantly?) took me to explore the town, giving me brief details on what's what, mostly just 'That restaurant's pretty nice' or 'This is the cheapest store' or something along the lines of that.

My kinda style. No boring unnecessary details, long lectures on whatever's history or extremely expressive personal opinions on things.

Just short and brief. Perfect for someone like me.

Later, I found out that his name was Enma and that he's been living here for a good while and that I had somehow miraculously made a new friend (You all _know _that my socializing skills are like…negative 500 hundred or something? Really not healthy for a teenage girl.)

To be friends with someone that was not some violent mafia boss assigned to me via traditional mission passed down through generations, it was kinda…nice.

Enma was a nice kid.

So taking in his tattered looking clothes and the fact that he's still in his school uniform despite it being the weekend, I came to the conclusion that he doesn't get treated to luxuries very often.

Which is where I come in.

Enma _did _waste a couple hours of his life providing me with information so that calls for some retribution, don't you think?

Just as he was about to leave ("So…Bye…" he said, turning to go), I grabbed his wrist and stopped him for a bit.

"W-Wha…" Enma stammered, pretty surprised to be pulled from behind, face flushing for whatever unknown reason.

Hm. Maybe he was just unused to girls or something. But anyways…

"Come with me." I say, still holding on and pulling him in the direction of one of the fancier stores.

"…"

No response. I courteously ignored that.

* * *

><p>Letting go of Enma's arm and telling him to stay near the table outside the store, I quickly went into a place called 'Chocolatte Cache.'<p>

I loved that name instantly. It spells heaven for chocolate lovers like _moi._

With some quick words and spilt second decisions, I picked out a variety of yummy-looking chocolate truffles (this is definitely going to be my new favorite store) and paid for them, asking the person to wrap it up in a pretty package.

I'm think the whole process took less than five minutes so Enma should still be where I left him…Ah yes, there he is.

A little mystified, but still sitting at the table, was the friendly red-head who went through the pain of keeping me company.

"Here. Thank you for the tour." I said, handing him the package.

"Uh…" He was certainly speechless. What was this, the first time someone gave him a present?

…

Well that could be true, but then again maybe…

"…Do you hate chocolate?" I asked, ready to smack my head on a wall for being such a complete _idiot _and not asking what kind of stuff he liked first.

I just went with my favorite food so…Urg. Stupid me.

"No, that's not it!" He hastily exclaimed. "It's just…Um…Thanks."

Right.

Then I'll take that as the cue to leave.

Waving goodbye, I walked off and headed back to my apartment before realizing that while the tour was a good idea, I completely forgot about the fact that I needed to shop for food and clothing.

The sheer stupidity.

And it was nearly evening, too, with the sun starting to set. Darn my inner idiot for surfacing…

I have _got _to get my stuff before the day ends.

And so, I rushed off to some random stores (introduced to me via the nice red-head down the street) in search of my living necessities all the while telling myself what a complete fool I was, forgetting what I left my apartment for in the first place and losing track of time like a five year old with ADHD and being and idiot and losing sight of my goal and…I think my conscience is starting to hate me.

* * *

><p><em><strong>~Enma~<strong>_

He was just drifting off in his thoughts when he ran into her with a big *Bang!* and spilled his groceries all over the place like some idiot klutz blind to the world.

Internally groaning about his clumsiness, he started to apologize to the stranger who happened to be this…kinda pretty (it a dark, mysterious, fearful way…which really just translates into _she's damn scary)_ girl who stared at him blankly.

Oh _God, _the embarrassment!

Really, he just _had _to go around running into complete strangers while spilling his groceries all over them and probably getting beat up again and…and…

She started helping him up and being _nice _to him of all things.

That's new.

And now that he takes another glance at her, she really wasn't as scary as he thought because if you put aside the whole vampire aura thing, she was quite cute.

In his opinion, anyways (Because Adelheid is the epitome of scary lady! In comparison to her, this girl was like an adorable kitty!...And Enma did like cats. A lot).

He was snapped out of his musings when she handed him his bag (Oh, wow, her hands are really soft….What the hell is he thinking? Stop the blush! Must stop the blush!), and asked him if he can guide her around town since she was new here.

Say what?

Enma, totally caught off guard, was thinking and thinking and starting to drift off to lala land before he noticed that the girl was starting to stare at him again and tilt her head for some godforsaken reason and successfully kill all his doubts on whether or not he should guide her.

And why not anyways? She seemed harmless.

A little odd, yes, but perfectly harmless unlike certain other people he knew (Uggh…He'd rather not think about it…)

"…Sure…" He finally answered.

He did his best. Tried not to screw up.

And then thought that things were over and that the pretty girl would leave him to go back home since his (sad) role as guide was over.

So Enma was pretty darn shocked when she randomly decided to grab his wrist (No, do NOT blush. It is just some physical contact! Nothing big! Do. Not. Frigging. BLUSH) and pull him off somewhere.

She told him to stay near the table of some chocolate shop and seeing as he was still confused and really shocked, he stayed there, trancelike and unmoving.

Then she came back in less than five minutes and Enma jolted out of his thoughts just in time to receive the fancy package that she held out to him.

"Here. Thank you for the tour." She said.

For that little tour she was going to buy him presents from the most expensive confectionery store in town?

There no way he can accept such a gift like this just for—

"…Do you hate chocolate?" She suddenly asked.

"N-No, that's not it!" He hastily exclaimed. "It's just…Um…Thanks."

—and suddenly, he had informally accepted the gift due to the spur of the moment.

Enma could never get over how he was just _so_ good at expression his emotions.

Then he watched as the girl did a princess wave and faded off in the distance, the sunset making the scene kinda…warm and fuzzy.

Something that Enma hadn't felt in the past oh...five years or so.

When he unpacked her gift the first thing his eyes landed on was the receipt which the idiotically forgetful girl had left behind.

He nearly dropped the box.

What the heck was she, some secret billionaire's daughter? A rich lady from some foreign land? A mafia boss or something?

Okay, the last one was a bit skeptical…BUT NORMAL PEOPLE DO NOT GIVE GIFTS THIS EXPENSIVE!

…Was what Enma thought as he headed on home.

For some odd reason, he just couldn't stop thinking about the girl.

Would he meet her ever again someday? Can he?

And now that he thinks about it, what happened to his groceries?

…

Oh shoot…

And so the day ended with Enma running back to retrieve his forgotten groceries, Mei going on a rushed shopping trip at 7:45 PM, and Tsuna wondering where the heck his Moon Guardian was.

It was a happy day.

* * *

><p><em><strong>~Mei~<strong>_

Somehow, freaky coincidences seem rather common in my life.

That is the one way to explain why I somehow winded up being Enma's math tutor despite the fact that I had only been _randomly_ _taking a stroll _sometime in the afternoon.

In a park. In the middle of nowhere.

How does fate _do _stuff like this?

But my goal was to blend with the normal people of the world and normal people had random normal jobs and therefore, I wanted some random normal job as well.

A math tutor fit the criteria.

So.

"Do you understand?" I asked Enma, gesturing at the ridiculously easy formula that covered one entire sheet of notebook paper, front and back, filled with numerous algebraic expressions and…stuff.

"Er…No." He said.

In a vague display of my sporadic wisdom, I kindly decided to ignore the fact that it's been like…an hour? And I still had made no process whatsoever.

I think I understand what Reborn feels like.

That uncontrollable urge to keep on tutoring like some insane Spartan warrior until the important little facts make it through the student's thick skull, pass a few nerves, reach the brain at last, _and stay there._

Enma peered at me nervously. The cute little guy.

"…You don't have to tutor me you know…" He says, making that sad puppy dog look.

I graciously ignored that comment and went about the task of shuffling the papers into a neat stack and starting over _again _because apparently, Enma did not comprehend a single word I said.

Either that, or he's distracted.

I think it's both. He _does _get this faraway look in his eyes every once in a while. Except why the heck is that look always in _my_ direction?

Very mysterious.

As I started drilling the math formulas into his brain again…and again…and again…(He made process! Rejoice!), I finally decided that the poor kid needed a break from my (Spartan.) tutoring.

Really, I think I completely understand Luke and Alicia now.

Being a Spartan tutor is pretty fun as long as you're not the student.

So now, with the painfully _easy_ and _simple _math problems (They were only took _three lines_ of notebook paper!) set aside for the moment, the two of us could now have a casual conversation.

"Thanks for tutoring me." He said.

I shrugged.

"You looked like you needed help." I stated in an as-a-matter-of-fact tone.

That, and because I need to blend in with my surrounding (AKA the ordinary citizens of the world) and keep a low profile to avoid creepy stalker infants with monster strength and various deadly assassins that may be sent after me and thus, cover as a math tutor may possibly save my life.

It was such a good thing that he didn't know (The poor kid would run away screaming).

And so, the day went on by with some math tutoring, some coffee, and the occasional blushing red-head.

It was so peaceful. So mafia-free.

I wish I could live here forever…but sadly, that was not the case.

I found that out pretty soon when my cell phone rang (I made sure to check caller ID. Not that Tsuna could have my phone number, but still...) and I was greeted with "MEEEIII!" by a screeching banshee that shattered the peace and happiness that came with post-math tutoring pride.

"…Yes…?" I replied, sounding so enthusiastic to my dear tutor.

And she told me news that nearly caused me to spit out my coffee.

* * *

><p><em><strong>~Tsuna~<strong>_

A rather suspicious pair of transfer students with creepy resemblance to certain members of a top assassin squad decided to suddenly come to Nami-Chu for mysterious, unknown reasons.

Kusakube Tetsuya also had a giant bandage on his face for mysterious, unknown reasons as well.

And what's more, for yet _another _(not-so) mysterious, unknown reason, one Kurogane, Mei was missing from class and the teacher made no comments about it whatsoever.

It seemed to Tsuna that with the Arcobaleno trials looming ahead, completely _strange _stuff was happening.

That thought was reinforced when he was randomly shot at while hanging out on the roof with his dear friends and comrades.

And then…it was Colonello. And war.

And precarious Rain Arcobaleno combat trials.

How come Mei never showed up when he _wanted _her to randomly appear out of nowhere?

Not that he had a problem with it or anything…not at all…nothing to do with how she nearly made him scream like a girl…on 31 different occasions…Aha..hah…aha…ha…

_**~Somewere~**_

"The Arcobaleno trials are here…And the Moon Guardian is present this time. Will you take action?"

"…It's necessary."

Nod.

A shadowy shape moved in all the swirly mist.

"I have…to test her worth…"

If you squinted really, really hard, you saw that the moving shape was rather small, almost like…an infant?

* * *

><p><em><strong>~Omake: Monster Tamer Tsuna~<strong>_

Meiko the vampire ghost was not a happy child when she figured out that,

1. She got killed by a frigging vampire. Hibarin, no less.

2. She got killed and is not _dead _for Pete's sake, but is some invisible floating ghost wandering the earth forever, doomed to suffer, facing the Apocalypse, hating the universe and…yeah.

3. Woah. She can suck blood. And what's more, when she sucks blood she becomes rather solid and visible which meant that yay, she can interact with human society again!...Sadly.

The first time Meiko sucked blood was when she was bored to tears (if ghosts can cry. Which she doubted.) of floating around doing nothing and freaking out the random person who had the misfortune of passing by.

To solve this problem of extreme boredom capable of killing the _dead _(Which Meiko wasn't sure was possible, but she definitely _felt _like she was dying all over again.), Meiko thought 'Hibarin sucks blood. I'll try that too. I mean, I was turned to a vampire before I died, right?'

So she did. Suck blood, that is.

This proved to be exceedingly easy seeing as the people can't _see _her and thus cannot do anything about the blood sucking ghost floating around.

There was just the problem of all the screaming that happens when Meiko suddenly becomes visible and gives the nearby old lady a sudden heart attack with her epic, untimed, entrances.

So she refrained from drinking blood (Yeah, Meiko was rather cynical…but she wouldn't just kill the random old lady passing by! That's just too cruel!)

Well…unless the person was conveniently alone and rather tasty looking and healthy…Mhmmhh, yes…Why is it that suddenly, Meiko has the warped personality of some bloodthirsty vampire?

Wasn't that Hibari's job? His vampire-ness must have rubbed off when he bit her…

But still, time passed and Meiko left the area she was born in and came across the village where one Sawada Tsunayoshi resided.

Blood-free, of course.

Which meant that supposedly, no one could see her.

But…"HHHIIEEEE!" the brunette cried. "It's a ghost!" he ran away screaming, all the while wondering since when ghosts had fangs.

It seems that suddenly, Meiko had found something to cure her boredom with.

* * *

><p><strong>Fact: The mysterious infant is an existing KHR character!<strong>

**(Kinda) Important Question: How much fluff/romance do you want in a special chapter? Give me details please~**

**And was this chapter kind of short? Yes, but…WE HAVE A CHRISTMAS SPECIAL! MWUAHAHAHA...I have no idea why I'm laughing...**

**Thank you for R&R and happy holidays! :D**


	23. Special: Silent Christmas

**THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT, EVERYONE! I LOVE YOU ALL!**

**For this chapter, you** **need to know this:**

**_ Malaxophobia _-**_**_**_ An_ extreme dread of love play that includes caressing, stroking, fondling, touching, contact in general, usually caused by lack of exposure to affections in the past. Or something like that. Yeah, it's real. O.O**_**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>~Somewhere in Italy~<strong>_

"You called?" I said, opening yet another door in the Segreto Mansion, going in the room where Alicia supposedly awaited.

"Mei! You came!" She cried, leaping from the red couch and bounding over, giving me a (thankfully) short hug.

"So what did you need me for?" I asked after she let go, hoping it wasn't for something completely random like 'We just wanted to hang out!'

"Well." She began, sitting down and sipping some coffee. "It's once-every-seven-years tradition that I'd like to talk about."

I raised an eyebrow.

"…?…" said my face.

She caught on and started explaining.

"You see, every seven years, in honor of our past comrades who sacrificed their lives, we of the remaining Segreto Family keep silent vigil for the seven days before Christmas."

I blinked. That was…understandable.

"So I just have to keep silent for seven days?" I asked.

She shook her head.

"Not exactly. More like you lose your ability to talk for seven days. The boss has to do it with no exceptions so whether you want to or not, you won't be able to talk."

"…How does that work?"

She shrugged and put down her coffee cup.

"It's kinda like the Omerta of the Vongola. Expect only for seven days every seven years, instead."

Uhh…'kay?

"So when do I start?" I said.

"Riiiiight…NOW!"

And I suddenly lost my ability to talk. I looked at the clock.

12:00 precisely.

Alicia gave me a thumbs up and I threw her a half-hearted glare.

But I guess the silence was a good thing.

I like quiet places, after all.

* * *

><p><em><strong>~Day 3~<strong>_

'Mei is acting weird.' Tsuna decided as the last days of school rolled around.

She was always quiet, but now…was it just him, or was she completely silent?

She hasn't said a _single word _for who knows how long and frankly, it was starting to get on his nerves.

So.

He asked Reborn.

"Hmm…" the infant mused out loud. "Let's find out."

Reborn was genuinely curious. What could motivate Mei to give everyone a permanent silent treatment, hm?

So of course he would devise up some sneaky way to drag Tsuna into his plans.

"Eh?" said Tsuna. "How?"

Reborn smirked and gave Tsuna _the look._

Tsuna regretted asking Reborn.

"Go confront her." He said, turning Leon into a gun and pointing it at the poor pupil.

"HIIIEEE!"

_**~Afterschool, still day 3~**_

With Tsuna and Gokudera watching from the sidelines, Yamamoto attempted to coax the ever evasive Moon Guardian to confide in them on why she was acting weird.

"Ne, Kurogane-chan, did we do something wrong?" Yamamoto asked, abet politely.

Mei stared at him with clear eyes and them shook her head to indicate that no, despite her actions, the Vongola did nothing whatsoever to piss her off.

Then she left before he could do anything else, taking a mental note to buy a pencil and notepad for the next time she runs into the group.

Unknown to them, the scene was watched by a certain skylark seeing as it took place behind the school on the baseball field.

AKA _his _territory.

* * *

><p><em><strong>~Day 4~<strong>_

Gokudera went the next day, ambushing Mei at the front gates while this time, Yamamoto and Tsuna plus Reborn watched from the sidelines.

"YOU! WHY HAVE YOU BEEN IGNORING US?" He yelled at the silent girl, whipping out his dynamite and looking ready to beat the answer out of her.

Which was impossible. Because Mei wasn't _trying _to ignore them.

She was just…hindered by unexpected circumstances. And where was that notepad she bought yesterday?

Needless to say, Gokudera's tactics ended in complete failure and Mei left them immediately with the use of her awesome ninja skills (and when she realized that yes, the godforsaken notepad was left at home and she had no other means to explain her situation).

Again, the entire scene was watched by a certain skylark from his window.

_**~Day 5~**_

Tsuna desperately wanted to know why Mei was giving them the silent treatment right when the frigging _holidays _(Which were supposed to be _happy _for Pete's sake!) were rolling around.

So he made his move in some random corridor in the school while Gokudera and Yamamoto were nowhere to be seen.

"Um…Mei…why are you ignoring us?" He asked her.

Mei still did not respond.

She was too busy puzzling over the fact that somehow, her notepad and pencil mysteriously vanished in her time of need _again _and as such, she could not communicate.

As usual.

Trying to point out this fact, Mei repeatedly opened and closed her mouth in attempt to make Tsuna notice that _she could not talk, damn it. NOTICE, will you?_

Tsuna did not notice.

And then he proceeded to bombard her with 'Why?Why?Why?' questions then apologizing for some unknown reason and causing disturbances in the hall and attracting attention and GOD! WILL THIS KID EVER GIVE UP?

Reaching the limits of her patience and digging down _deep _to refrain from whipping out weapons and killing something, Mei instead picked up her pace and faded from sight rapidly.

Poor Tsuna. He must feel so rejected.

* * *

><p><em><strong>~Day 6 With Tsuna~<strong>_

Why was she ignoring him like he was _part of the fucking wall?_

What did he do? Actually, what did _they _do?

…

Okay, a lot of things but…WHY WAS SHE IGNORING _HIM?_

It was just so—so— _frustrating!_

Thus the mood in the Sawada household was absolutely depressing.

And emo-ish. And gloomy mushroom-y.

Because Tsuna, for the life of him, could not figure out why Mei was giving him the silent treatment all of a sudden and seriously, all he wanted was to hear her voice again!

That was it! Was it too much to ask for some attention? It was the holidays! He didn't want her to ignore him like this!

And, of course, Tsuna's inner turmoil didn't go unnoticed by Reborn.

"Depressed?" He asked.

Tsuna nodded gloomily and then sighed.

"Why is she ignoring us?" He groaned, closing his eyes and letting his head slam onto the table, AGAIN.

Reborn raise an eyebrow and then smirked.

"I can help you with that." He said, summoning the Leon Gun and...a new bullet?

Tsuna eyed him wearily.

"Reborn…what's that for?" He asked.

"It's a new bullet. Giannini made it."

"What does it do?"

"_Supposedly, _it causes a state similar to dying will mode and…I figured, why not try it out?"

Reborn smiled. Tsuna gulped and tried to run away but…

*GUNSHOT*

Reborn surveyed the results of his work.

Tsuna now looked similar to HDW Tsuna and, surprise, surprise, Giannni's bullet seemed to have worked unlike just about everything else he made.

Or so it seemed.

"Reborn, I'm going to visit Mei…" said the new and improved Tsuna with his HDW expression, but instead, there were no flames and his eyes retained their original color.

Reborn smirked and waved. He'll observe through binoculars later.

* * *

><p><em><strong>~Mei~<strong>_

I lay on my bed, exasperated and somewhat annoyed at the gang's repeated attempts to find out what's wrong with me and starting to think that permanent silence might be a bad thing after all.

And what was _wrong _with me was the godforsaken fact that all notepads and writing utensils seemed to vanish off the face of the earth the _second_ I needed them.

Such coincidences can _not _occur so simultaneously and what the heck, there was only one more day so I might as well wait it out.

So I did. Or tried to.

Until the doorbell rang.

I knew that it was someone from Tsuna's family so to avoid aiding their suspicions that I hated them or something, I got up and opened the door.

And frowned.

"Ah, Mei." said Tsuna.

I looked him over. Something seemed off.

Where was the usual quivering mess that was the Sawada Tsunayoshi I knew?

It was undoubtedly _him _but…something just seemed _different._

That was confirmed when he invited himself in without my consent and closed the door behind him, causing me to immediately retreat back a few steps because friend, you are WAY too close for comfort and my personal bubble is being violated and—

I rapidly whirled to jump out the window because no, I was not going through another giant speech on 'Mei! Why are you doing this?' courtesy of Tsuna but then…something caught me from behind and I stopped and stared with one thought going through my head.

_Since when did Tsuna have the nerve to hug me?_

_**~Reborn~**_

Reborn watched through binoculars at the scene and his smirk widened.

Maybe Giannini finally had success in making a new bullet.

While Tsuna held Mei from behind tightly, making sure she cannot jump out the window at her leisure, Reborn read the information about the bullet's effects.

He _had _shot it without knowing…

Apparently, this bullet was meant to induce a Hyper Dying Will state without the Deathperation flames so that the change wouldn't be noticeable, but the user's abilities are unleashed.

Right.

That part seemed successful (Heck, most people can't even _touch_ the Moon Guardian in a game of tag, but Tsuna manages to catch her in a full blown _hug? _Yeah, He probably has his HDW powers at the moment…)

As for side effects…The user's emotional impulse and/or desires might be slightly greater than usual.

Giannini said he was still working on that part and even Reborn had to admit, if Tsuna could take on his HDW personality without the strain on his body or visible flames pouring from his forehead, it would be highly beneficial for diplomacy matters…Hmmm…

But what's more interesting, Mei's reaction is suggestive.

Almost as though she has…

* * *

><p><em><strong>~Mei~<strong>_

Holy _fuck, _GET OFF ME! I mentally screamed.

Actually, I screamed that in reality as well, but the silence curse thingie was still going on so my mouth was moving, but no words were coming out.

Which _is not good. _

Struggling and squirming like crazy, I tried in vain to escape from Tsuna's firm grasp and cursed (silently) when I realized that his grip on my midsection was too strong.

Heck, now that I think about it, his voice was deeper too and if he's this strong, then Reborn must have put him in some new HDW will mode and _when will he frigging get off?_

I swear Tsuna is tightening his grip on me and blood was draining out of my face rapidly as I became overly aware if his presence and my phobia started kicking in at the worst time possible and I was freezing up and—and—

"Mei, why are you ignoring us?" He murmured in my ear.

I flinched from the close distance between us and made another pathetic attempt to get out of his grasp.

He tightened his grip until I gave up completely and let him pull me away from the window (NO! My path of freedom!)

I cocked my head up (Why is TSUNA taller than me? That's not right. I DO NOT APPROVE OF THIS) and made the face of 'Chill, I won't run so please let go of me.'

I think he got the message.

We sat on opposite couches and he watched carefully with those eyes, probably making sure that I don't make a mad dash for the window (which I was pretty tempted to do, but no, I'd rather not experience The Death Glomp all over again. I think Tsuna now knows how to freak me out).

Opening my mouth slowly, I repeated the words 'I can't talk right now' and hoped that with his hyper senses, he can pick up the message.

He stared for a while and then said,

"You can't talk right now?"

I nodded enthusiastically.

"Does that mean you weren't avoiding us all this time?"

More nodding and a little smile on my side to make things clear.

I deeply regret that fatal mistake.

Because then Tsuna grinned, blinding me with that cursed brightness and looking much more cheerful unlike before.

"That's great." He said happily, coming over to…to…Hell no get AWAY from me, I do not need another déjà vu of—

He still got me.

THIS time, instead of clamping me from behind, he got me from the front and I practically broke my nose on his chest when he hit me.

"Then how about you let me hug you for compensation?" He inquired, taking full advantage of my silence and successfully catching me in his embrace.

I twitched.

I could feel the oncoming queasiness and dizziness caused by his overly affectionate actions.

So awkwardly, and maintaining a twitching eyebrow all the while, I let him _cuddle_ me because _hugs do not freaking last this long_ and really, what is UP with him?

If he doesn't let go soon, I'll probably faint or something...

And then, after a rather long period of time (in my opinion),

"HIIEE! Mei! Umm…" Tsuna reverted back to his good old Dame self.

Finally, _finally, _the real Tsuna is back! I can celebrate! No more hugging!

"S-Sorry about hounding you this week…We were just…um…worried if we did anything to upset you." He said nervously, blushing redder than any tomato in existence and obviously not quite recovered from what he just did in his…whatever mode that is.

I patted his shoulder and made 'it's okay' gestures.

He cheered up and left. Lucky him.

…And then the after effects of my phobia kicked in and I went 'blob-mode' and collapsed on the couch like I predicted.

Too much hugging is bad for my health.

* * *

><p><em><strong>~Later that day~<strong>_

"So, Dame-Tsuna, how did it go?" Reborn asked.

Tsuna blushed and then said, "She's been avoiding us this week because she couldn't talk."

Reborn stared at him. Did Tsuna seriously think that he didn't notice that?

"And_ why_ can't she talk?"

Silence. Then,

"ARRRRGGH!"

Reborn had to sigh at his student's stupidity sometimes.

But at least he found something interesting…

* * *

><p><em><strong>~Final Day~<strong>_

At school, things were somewhat less tense and Tsuna sent friendly smiles my direction like that was his way of saying sorry for earlier.

I forgive him. Mostly.

It seems that he's told Gokudera and Yamamoto about it too, so they were no longer staring at me all through class, either.

I can't help, but do a little cheer in my head as the day rolled on by and nothing remotely catastrophic happened.

Christmas was tomorrow and I had everyone's gift's planned…even one for Enma, though that would have to be sent by mail.

Things were so much smoother now that Tsuna cleared things up for me~

What could possibly go wrong?

_**~Night, 11:00-ish~**_

"Infant. Do you want to fight me?"

"Sorry, not today. However…I need a favor…"

"Hn…What is it?"

"…"

"I see. Very well."

"I'll send over some materials to help. And don't worry, she'll be there."

"Hn."

*Click*

And the phone call ended.

* * *

><p><em><strong>~Night, 11:30~<strong>_

I sighed. Silently.

Just thirty more minutes and I'll regain my ability to talk and clear things up with everyone.

In the meantime, I'll have to deliver this…envelope/package thing…to Hibari because _Reborn _(The sly little bastard) decided to dump the task upon me.

Accompanied by the usual 'if you don't you shall die' threats, of course.

And naturally, because this was the way things work, I went off to school at 11:30 at night to deliver the damn thing for the sake of not being prematurely murdered/tortured/scarred/killed/etc. by some demon baby sent from the pits of hell.

So here I was.

I knocked.

"Enter."

And entered.

Hibari was there, as usual, on the couch with his bored face and not looking the least surprised at my interruption.

I tossed him the package and he caught it one-handed with his eyes closed. That somehow pisses me off.

As I turned to leave, he said something that stopped me in my tracts.

"Interesting that the infant would send me information on 'Malaxophobia' **(1)** to me…" He mused.

I froze. What?

Please tell me I'm imagining that frigid glare on my back…there's no way that he'll—

And I turned around to get a face full of his shirt and find that somehow, in less than half a second, he had covered the distance between us.

Out of sheer instinct, I immediately withdrew and few steps and backed away rapidly.

And then I realized something.

_Who put the wall there?_

Okay, stupid question, but c'mon! Even the _walls _of the universe hate me?

This is an outrageous violation of my human rights! Someone remove that wall!

Regardless, the bothersome wall did not vanish for me and I found myself rapidly approaching rather dangerous situation as Hibari came closer and practically pinned me to the wall.

I _thought _that there's no way Hibari would possibly take advantage of my phobia because he would never crowd and there just no freaking _way _he would dare to—

"Herbivore, you've been causing disturbances in Nami-Chu and the infant has told me to find the cause." He said, with the ghost of a smirk.

I stared at him and realized what he was implying and put two and two together.

Reborn. Hibari. Reborn making me deliver a suspicious package to Hibari. Hibari suddenly being enlightened on the effects of certain phobias. Reborn being too damn curious and sadistic. _Me being within 5 feet of Hibari with said phobia._

Shit.

And you can add that with Reborn's infuriating desire to stick his nose in other people's business so of _course _he would set this up.

Oh, I how hate that infant…

But more importantly…Hibari is invading my personal space.

That is not right.

My phobia screamed 'violation' when he started petting me _like a fucking cat _and brushing off my failed attempts to push him away.

"Wao. You really do have malaxophobia…" he saids, making it a point to come even closer.

Where is my _breathing _space? Of all ridiculous phobias, why must I have _this _one?

Still, I struggled and twisted to get out of his grasp to no avail and tried desperately to escape…and failed.

And endured with all my might when he ran a hand up my chin. Repeatedly. _While I'm pressed against a damn wall._

I tried in vain to push him away yet again, but that just seemed to amuse him.

"Herbivore, are you going to talk yet?"

What, he thought I was keeping silent on purpose? DOES HE NOT NOTICE THAT I _CAN'T_ TALK?

Apparently so.

Having a mental meltdown and feeling nauseous, I opened and closed my mouth and tried to get the message across that I surrender and I'll tell him everything, but either he's missing the point on purpose or he's truly not noticing.

I have a sneaking suspicion that it's the former of the two. Hibari _does_ seem like the type to enjoy watching me struggle pathetically and be a sadistic jerk.

Damn.

With my phobia completely kicking in, I could do nothing whatsoever as he stroked my chin and brought his lips inches from my ears while my muscles froze up and made me go 'blob mode' all over again while I kept my head down, cursing the universe for doing this to me.

I felt scared, nervous, and desperate for escape from this situation and then…

"Stop!" I gasped out, my voice sounding rather faint and ridiculously soft.

Then I paused and did a rewind.

I talked. Barely. But still. Holy shit. Why?

"Hn?"

"I'll talk." I managed to gasp, noting with immense relief that he was _finally _letting me out of this tight space and I was wondering why I can suddenly speak again.

Then I discovered that it was 12:01. Which meant the seven days had passed!

Following that observation, I first recovered from mind scarring torture and then gave a short explanation to Hibari on what was going on in the past days and why I was silent.

He seemed satisfied. And let me go.

But not before a short smirk and a look in his eyes that might have spelled "Merry Christmas" for anyone else, but this was Hibari thus it was a thoroughly impossible phenomena.

I left the hellish place, shaky and pale, vowing that sometime soon, I would erase my phobia and never be subjected to such humiliation _ever _again.

* * *

><p><em><strong>~Later~<strong>_

"Oh, I see…Thanks Hibari. I owe you one." Reborn said.

"Hn."

Surprisingly, it wasn't really that bad.

Against his previous thoughts, Hibari didn't actually feel like he was 'crowding' during that brief period in which he used the forms of torture suggested by the infant.

And it was strictly for information extracting purposes without any emotional attachment because Hibari does not have such petty things such as feelings.

Yes. That was it. It was all a specialized way of interrogation.

Then again…Did he enjoy it? Possibly.

But that was his inner sadist speaking so no issues there, either.

And that was that.

* * *

><p><em><strong>~Christmas Morning~<strong>_

I scowled and recalled last night's little 'interrogation session'.

Needless to say, I'll kill Reborn for that later, but for now, I might as well go with the flow because…it was Christmas.

And I had presents for everyone.

…

Actually, everyone's presents are the same so…I hope they like chocolate.

I'm pretty sure it was a one-sided present exchange, since Japanese don't celebrate Christmas, but meh, I was bored and a cookbook as lying around, so there. A legitimate excuse for my actions. It's not like I care. Of course not. Just...tradition.

To Tsuna, I went up to his front door and handed it to him with a brief 'Happy Hoildays' and a wave goodbye as he stuttered and blushed and did all that other overreacting stuff.

I think he managed to yell a 'Thank you!' at the end, though.

To Yamamoto, I went off to his shop and pretty much did the same, but met with a more 'Ahahaha!' Style thank you.

Ryohei was ditto as Yamamoto. Just more extreme.

For Chrome, I went through the pain of trekking to Kokuyo Land in the middle of winter and handing it to her with a smile because sweet Chrome deserved one.

And I think she'd probably be scared of me if I did otherwise.

She responded with an adorable 'thank you!' in that soft voice of hers and I made a point to enter and exit through the back door where Ken and Chikusa never check.

So ha. Sneaky Santa Clause. And sometimes, I seriously wonder why this kind, incorruptible _angel _was in the mafia with _Mukuro _of all people.

It bugs me. I dunno why, but it just does. Chrome's too innocent for this stuff!

Now the problematic one.

Hibari. The guy I wanted to strangle for Christmas because…of reasons.

So do I take his present and burn it with the flames of rage, or do I suck it up and deal with it?

Do I confront him and show I'm not scared, or do I run away like some pathetic coward?

…

I went.

"Hibari. Chrstimas." I said flatly, making a point to look him in the eye and meet his frigid glare with my own.

I tossed the box to him, getting a sense of déjà vu and resisting the urge to quail under that gaze.

He might know my weakpoint, but that will change someday.

Someday for sure, I'll get over it and turn the tables. Definitely.

Then I turned my heel and walked out the door hearing a faint "Hn." Which I mentally translated into a 'thank you' in Hibari-Language.

Time to leave Japan.

* * *

><p>I went off to Italy to spend the rest of the holidays in my Family's mansion at <em>the <em>wildest party ever, free of pain-inducing silence curses that caused me to nearly lose my composure before the Cloud Guardian.

Alicia, in the midst of crazy party chaos (though on a much milder level compared to Vongola) told me that there was a surprise later and that everyone was going to party all day (and night) long.

And it was only noon so far. Wow. Can't wait.

I sat on a sofa near a fireplace watching the members I knew best, i.e. Alicia, Luke, and Matt, party around with all the other members of my Family.

I sighed contently and sipped the deluxe hot chocolate and relaxed in the comfy fat sofa while people around me acted like the kind, but sometimes crazy people I knew them to be.

It was a warm, rich atmosphere.

Then came the surprise.

The door opened to admit in the still-arriving guests.

"Yo."

I stared and nearly spilled my hot chocolate.

"_Dino?"_

He smiled sheepishly and waved.

"Hey." He said.

And then I noticed that behind him, Romario was carrying this giant sack with the Vongola crest on it addressed to…me?

Dino grinned and came over to me, Romario following closely and struggling with the giant sack.

"Tsuna and the others made a ton of gifts, but couldn't give them to you before you left!" He cheerfully proclaimed.

"They wanted you to receive the gifts today so I brought them over to Italy with me!"

I blinked.

And then I, too, broke into a warm smile which, for some reason, caused many occupants in the room to stop and stare.

"Tell them I said thanks. I'll be back by New Years." I say, accepting the gifts from Romario and holding them tightly.

It was a heartfelt Christmas.

Maybe I'll even forgive Reborn.

...

...

...Nah...he's too evil for that...

And did Enma get his present?

* * *

><p>Somewhere, a certain red-head received a huge package in the mail.<p>

It was anonymous.

But who else would send him a ton of chocolate for Christmas other than his beloved tutor?

* * *

><p><strong>In case you skipped the AN: ****(1)**_** Malaxophobia- An extreme dread of love play that includes caressing, stroking, fondling, touching, contact in general, usually caused by lack of exposure to affections in the past. Or something like that. Yes, it's real. **_

**Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Where's the New Years special? It'll be during New Years Eve!...Hopefully.**

**And yes, the romance was a _complete_ fail though I tried hard TT_TT Very random at times, too...**

**Review as a Christmas present? :D**


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